ONE of the most catastrophic floods in Libya not just killed thousands and left behind tossed-up cars and heaps of rubble but also bequeathed lessons for the world. Libya, the resource-rich North African country flanked by the Mediterranean Sea, sits in a sprawling desert that constitutes 90 per cent of its land mass. Storm Daniel that hit Libya last month brought with it torrential rains and whirling wind currents. Two Wadi Derna dams constructed in the 1960s to control the floods couldn’t withstand the pressure of the torrential flows and collapsed. The tragedy of Libya is a grim reminder for Pakistan and other countries that the consequences of climate change are exacerbated by conflicts, bad governance, corruption and neglected infrastructure.
