First Time In 50 Years, The Sahara Desert In Morocco Suddenly Hit By Floods

JAKARTA - The Sahara Desert in Morocco, which is the dryest desert in the world, is now suddenly hit by floods for the first time in 50 years. This rare phenomenon occurs after two days of heavy rain, which is equivalent to one year of rainfall.

Reporting from the New York Post page, the Moroccan government said the September floods were the most severe in decades, particularly in the southeastern Rabat village area, rain reached 101.6 millimeters per day.

The Iriqui Lake, which is between Zagora and Tata, has been dry for 50 years, is now filled with water, and can even be seen from the image of NASA's satellite. Merzouga was also exposed to rainfall.

Because usually the rainfall in the area is less than 254 millimeters per year. When the storm appeared, residents had to experience flooding and impromptu oasis areas. The storm came after 6 consecutive years of drought.

"It's been 30 to 50 years since we last had this much rain in a short time," said Houssine Youabeb, who works at the Directorate General of Meteorology Morocco.

He added that rain may have had an impact for years on the country's weather, due to increased humidity in the air.

In addition, another impact of the storm that occurred in September resulted in the reservoir being refilled at record-breaking speeds and bringing additional water sources to local residents.

However, it is too early to unravel the impact of the heavy rains. The storm killed 20 people in Morocco and Algeria, as well as damaged the production of food crops.