Amateur images of massive flooding in Algerian capital
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Flooding in Bab el-Oued. Photo published on Facebook
The torrential rain that hit Algeria’s capital on Wednesday has caused major flooding, particularly in the neighbourhood of Bab El Oued. Poorly-constructed homes were destroyed and transportation was brought to a standstill.
In Baïnem, a neighbourhood west of Bab el-Oued. Photo published on Twitter
Algiers residents feared a repeat of the floods of November 2001, in which nearly 800 people perished. This time, although images posted on social networks are quite worrisome, no deaths have yet been reported.
The neighbourhood of Hussein Dey, 5 kilometres east of downtown Alger, was also hit.
Photo published on Twitter
The city was slowly getting back to normal on Wednesday afternoon, according to our Observers in Algiers, who believe these floods were largely due to the city’s clogged sewer system. City workers were on site, vigorously trying to unclog pipes as well as cleaning up the roads and getting transportation back on track.