Tripoli, 24 October:
Water started to return to parts of Tripoli last night following an announcement earlier in the day by the Great . . .[restrict]Manmade River Authority (GMRA) that supplies to the capital would shortly be resumed after five days of empty taps.
Water was cut off on Thursday after the power supply near Bani Walid to the water pumps that fill the reservoir at Sidi Sayeh was cut. The reasons for the power cut still have not been disclosed, although there have been allegations of sabotage connected to the Bani Walid crisis.
On Saturday, the third day without water, Electricity Minister Awad Barasi promised that water would be turned on again by Monday. It was only on Tuesday, however, that it was finally announced that the water from the Manmade River had reached Sidi Sayeh and from would be fed to Tripoli over the coming hours.
Although residents in the capital have been remarkably stoical about being so long without water, public discontent had been beginning to grow yesterday.
“I’m done with this”, said Eslam Burawei, a engineering student, earlier on Tuesday. “I’m starting to smell. I need a shower.” He blamed the Bani Walid problem for the lack of water and wanted it to end as soon as possible.
The Bani Walid crisis was referred to by many others although some took a different perspective.
“Well, let the people of Tripoli taste a little of what’s happening in Bani Walid”, said Abdel-Basit Madi who described himself as “an activist”. “Maybe then they will try to force a solution.”
“I don’t care about the situation, all I want is my water back”, said Amin Ben Taher, a geology student. “The government promised a solution. Where is it?”
Some remained stoic. “There’s always a problem first electricity. Now water. I don’t know what’s coming next”, said shop keeper Mohammed Abuhamid.
Or simply more pragmatic. “I’m moving to my farm in Garabulli till the water’s sorted out”, was the response of architect Abdullah Borween.
But there were signs of serious anger. “Things like this didn’t happen in the past”, said one unemployed local resident who used to be a taxi driver and who wanted to be identified only as Mukhtar. “I’m starting to wish the revolution never happened.”
With input from Mohammed Elsharif
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