Every year since 10 November 2001, Algeria has commemorated the date of the historic Bab El Oued floods. Torrential rains fell on the Algerian capital, causing deadly floods and mudslides.
The Koreich wadi flood destroyed everything in its path, from the city heights to the sea, over a distance of nearly 10 km. The popular district of Bab El Oued was particularly devastated.
Algeria woke up this "black Saturday" with a heavy toll: more than 800 dead, a hundred missing, neighborhoods completely wrecked and substantial material damage estimated at 24 billion DZD (297 million USD).
Following this tragic event and other disasters such as the Boumerdes earthquake (May 2003), natural catastrophe risk insurance became compulsory in 2003.
Algeria is ranked among the most vulnerable countries to natural disasters, mainly to floods, forest fires and earthquakes. With the rapid pace of global warming [4], this vulnerability could become even worse.
* Bab El Oued is a district of the capital Algiers
Read also | Flood prevention plan needed in Algeria [5]