Some parts of the Sahara in North Africa have been flooded with water, Bild reports, UNN writes.
Details
Heavy rains flooded desert areas of North Africa. In particular, the small village of Merzouga, located in the southeast of Morocco, was affected. After the rains, real lakes were formed in the middle of the arid landscape, the publication points out.
Deserts traditionally have the lowest rainfall: the average rainfall in the Sahara is approximately 45 liters per square meter per year. At the same time, according to official data, in early September alone, some areas of the Sahara received 99 liters of precipitation per square meter.
The floods in Morocco and Algeria killed nearly two dozen people, including tourists from Canada and Peru. Significant damage was also done to the energy infrastructure and water supply system.
"We haven't seen this amount of rainfall in such a short period of time in 30 to 50 years," said Hussein Youabeb of Morocco's General Meteorological Office.
Until recently, Morocco was experiencing a severe drought, which caused farmers to abandon their fields and water use restrictions in cities and villages. Experts now suggest that the precipitation will replenish the groundwater reserves that supply desert settlements.