By Sami Zaptia.
London, 18 August 2021:
Water supply from the Man-Made River Project (MMR) has been cut since Saturday to about 3 million people, MMR Official Spokesperson Salah Al-Saadi told various Libyan media outlets.
The MMR took the decision to stop pumping water after it received threats that sabotage acts will be carried out against the MMR system. It feared for its infrastructure and its personnel.
An armed tribal group stormed the country’s main supply centre, demanding the release of Abdullah al-Senussi, Muamar Qaddafi’s son-in-law and a senior official in the former regime.
Spokesperson Al-Saadi said that despite claims to the contrary, the closure is still going on and negotiations are still ongoing, and he hope that there will be positive news this evening. This comes after reports that the Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba government has vowed to solve the problem and that negotiations with the armed group are ongoing. The government has issued no official statements on the matter.
Al-Saadi has warned that although the system’s pipes are filled with water, and that if the system is opened soon, the pumping process will be easy, but if the closure period is prolonged, there will be a loss of pipes in some channels, which means a lack of water level.
Man-Made River has remained out of politics and acted as a unifier: MMR chairman | (libyaherald.com)
130 wells sabotaged as Man-made River calls for provision of security | (libyaherald.com)
Armed guard to patrol Man-Made River | (libyaherald.com)
