

Currently released so far... 6230 / 251,287
Articles
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Amsterdam
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Browse by tag
ASEC
AF
AE
AR
AORC
AJ
AU
AM
ABLD
AL
AMGT
ASUP
AFIN
APER
ABUD
AVERY
APCS
AEMR
ADCO
APECO
ASIG
AG
AA
AS
AFFAIRS
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AMED
AO
ACOA
AX
AROC
ATFN
ASEAN
AFGHANISTAN
AFU
AER
ALOW
AODE
ATRN
AID
AC
AGMT
CH
CO
CS
CE
CU
CLINTON
CG
CVIS
CMGT
CI
CJAN
CF
COM
CASC
CA
CBW
CM
CDG
CR
COUNTER
CD
CWC
CKGR
CN
CPAS
CJUS
CV
CONS
CT
CY
COUNTERTERRORISM
CIA
CACM
CDB
CAN
COE
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CACS
CONDOLEEZZA
CARSON
CL
CIS
CODEL
CTM
CB
ECON
EFIN
EAIR
EUN
EINV
ENRG
EG
ETRD
EPET
ETTC
ELAB
EU
ER
ET
EAGR
ECPS
ECIN
ELTN
EAID
EMIN
EWWT
EFIS
EIND
EC
ES
EN
EI
ENVR
ENGR
ENIV
EUNCH
ENVI
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ELN
EZ
EXTERNAL
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EINT
EUR
ECINECONCS
ENNP
EFINECONCS
EK
ELECTIONS
ECUN
EINVEFIN
ECIP
EINDETRD
EUC
EREL
ECA
ENERG
ENGY
ETRO
EFTA
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
ECONEFIN
EINVETC
EINN
ESA
ETC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ESENV
ETRDECONWTOCS
IN
IC
IR
IZ
IS
IAEA
IT
ICTY
IO
IA
IWC
ID
ICRC
ILC
INTELSAT
IMO
ISRAELI
IACI
ILO
ITRA
IBRD
IMF
ICJ
ICAO
ITALY
ITALIAN
IRAQI
INTERPOL
IV
IQ
IPR
INRB
ITPHUM
IIP
IL
INR
ITPGOV
IZPREL
IRC
INRA
INRO
IRAJ
IEFIN
IF
KDEM
KCRM
KJUS
KTIA
KWBG
KPAL
KIPR
KTIP
KE
KNNP
KGHG
KICC
KV
KTFN
KU
KCFE
KDRG
KWMN
KSCA
KGIC
KCOR
KFRD
KPKO
KSUM
KPRP
KPAO
KBCT
KIRF
KCFC
KISL
KREC
KSPR
KHIV
KBIO
KMCA
KMPI
KFLU
KSTH
KBTR
KS
KOMC
KOMS
KSEP
KPRV
KFLO
KHLS
KN
KWWMN
KUNR
KLIG
KSTC
KZ
KG
KRAD
KOLY
KTBT
KTDB
KOCI
KAWK
KCIP
KNPP
KWAC
KMDR
KAWC
KIDE
KSAF
KX
KWMNCS
KNEI
KCRS
KVPR
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KACT
KO
KFSC
KR
KPWR
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KFIN
KGCC
KPIN
KPLS
KIRC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KGIT
KBTS
KERG
KWMM
KRVC
KNSD
KVIR
KNUP
KTER
KDDG
KHSA
KMRS
KHDP
KTLA
KPAK
KNAR
KREL
KPAI
KTEX
KCOM
KNNPMNUC
KPOA
KRFD
KHUM
KDEV
KNUC
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MNUC
MO
MX
MCAP
ML
MTCRE
MR
MP
MY
MU
MIL
MAR
MC
MRCRE
MTRE
MA
MEPI
MV
MPOS
MD
MZ
MEPP
MOPPS
MAPP
MASC
MT
MERCOSUR
MK
MDC
MI
MAPS
MCC
MASSMNUC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MTCR
MG
OREP
OVIP
OFDP
ODIP
OPDC
OAS
OTRA
OSCE
OECD
OIIP
OEXC
OPCW
OPIC
OPRC
OVP
OSCI
OTR
OSAC
OIC
OFFICIALS
OIE
PHUM
PREL
PGOV
PREF
PTER
PARM
PBTS
PINR
PINS
PHSA
PK
POL
PM
PINT
PE
PINF
PEL
PA
PARMS
PO
PLN
PROP
PALESTINIAN
PAO
PL
POV
PG
POLITICS
PEPR
PSI
PSOE
PU
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PBIO
PECON
PAK
POGOV
PINL
PKFK
PMIL
PY
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PRAM
PMAR
PGOVLO
PUNE
PORG
PHUMPREL
PF
POLINT
PHUS
PGOC
PNR
PGGV
PNAT
PGOVE
PRGOV
PRL
PROV
PTERE
PGOF
PHUMBA
SENV
SY
SZ
SOCI
SO
SR
SNAR
SA
SP
SW
SMIG
SU
SCUL
SC
SAN
SN
SL
SG
SYR
SEVN
SF
SI
STEINBERG
SIPRS
SH
SNARCS
SOFA
SANC
SHUM
SK
ST
TRGY
TU
TBIO
TH
TS
TSPL
TT
TPHY
TSPA
TI
TK
TIP
TERRORISM
TZ
TX
TW
TD
TP
TC
TO
TNGD
TINT
TRSY
TR
TFIN
TURKEY
UK
UNGA
UN
UNHRC
UNMIK
UNO
UZ
UNSC
UP
UG
UNHCR
UNDC
US
UNAUS
USTR
UV
UNEP
UY
UNESCO
USUN
UAE
USEU
UNDP
UNCHS
UNVIE
UNCHC
UE
UNDESCO
USAID
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08TRIPOLI635, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: A CASE STUDY IN LIBYAN
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08TRIPOLI635.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
08TRIPOLI635 | 2008-08-08 14:02 | 2011-02-01 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Tripoli |
Appears in these articles: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wikileaks-files/libya-wikileaks/ |
VZCZCXRO6478
RR RUEHTRO
DE RUEHTRO #0635/01 2211407
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 081407Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3763
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 0686
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 0742
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 0581
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 1183
RUEHVT/AMEMBASSY VALLETTA 0334
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0463
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0567
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0883
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 4277
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000635
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/5/2018
TAGS: BTIO ECON EIND EINV SENV SOCI PGOV LY
SUBJECT: A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: A CASE STUDY IN LIBYAN
INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT
CLASSIFIED BY: Chris Stevens, Charge d'Affaires , U.S. Embassy Tripoli, U.S. Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (d), (e) 1. (C) Summary: Libyan authorities are scrambling to address the side effects of a veritable river of untreated wastewater running through downtown Tripoli in an area near Muammar al-Qadhafi's compound. The project, and the urgency with which the government is seeking to address it, sheds light on the broader wastewater problem afflicting Libya and the government's ad hoc efforts to address the issue. The focus on mitigating the stench near al-Qadhafi's compound, as opposed to protecting the broader public's health, is also telling. The belated effort to tackle water and wastewater issues could create lucrative business opportunities for U.S. engineering and construction companies. End summary. 2. (C) Econoff met with a senior representative of the Biwater company in late July to discuss progress on their Libyan wastewater projects. Biwater Construction Limited is a Surrey, U.K.-based firm currently engaged in a turn-key program for the Libyan Public Works Authority to redevelop four wastewater treatment plants centered around the eastern Libyan city of al-Bayda. Econoff's interlocutor is a senior-level officer in the company. SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN TRIPOLI ... 3. (C) During a broader discussion of Libya's infrastructure needs, the Biwater representative said the Tripoli Public Works Authority recently approached Biwater with an urgent proposal that the company fix a problem stemming from a 1.8 meter diameter, 25 km-long pipe that runs through Tripoli. In particular, Libyan authorities are seized with repairs to a roughly 1 km stretch located close to Tripoli's city center, a section that runs parallel to Muammar al-Qadhafi's "Baab al-Azziziya" compound. 4. (C) The crux of the problem is that this pipe is leaking sewage and associated gases, and the smell has become decidedly pungent inside the al-Qadhafi compound. This has prompted panic among local authorities, who have been told that al-Qadhafi intends to spend a substantial portion of the holy month of Ramadan (which starts on/about September 1) at the Baab al-Azziziya compound. The Public Works Authority has been ordered to get rid of the smell by any means possible, and it is now scrambling to find a foreign contractor willing to take on the job. Senior GOL officials have apparently been tasked with fixing the problem, lending great urgency to the so far fruitless search for a foreign contractor. The companies approached by the GOL, including Biwater, have been told that they can "have whatever (future) contracts they want" if they can fix the odorous problem. A RIVER (OF SEWAGE) RUNS THROUGH IT 5. (C) The large-diameter pipe, constructed of concrete and asbestos, was laid 4 meters underground in a natural wadi (ravine) more than 30 years ago. Although it was designed and intended to be used to convey rainwater runoff from Tripoli's occasional storms, the local municipality and private Libyans have over time run thousands of sewage lines into it. The combination of fecal matter and heat generates sulphuric acid, which has degraded the integrity of the pipe. Libyan authorities estimate that there are six areas of leakage along the pipe's length, but given the age of the pipes and the profusion of sewage connections, Biwater assesses that there are many more leaks. Over time, the pipe's capacity has been increasingly taxed; it is now completely full, with an estimated average flow-rate of about 1 foot per second. Given standard engineering assumptions for pressure and fluid density, it is estimated that the pipe is now dumping approximately 1 million liters of untreated sewage a day into the Mediterranean Sea. 6. (C) Since the pipe was never intended to handle sewage, it empties directly into the sea along a stretch of coast just a few hundred yards west of the city's most heavily-peopled public beach. The stench from the flow and the damage to water and sand are obvious. Given the pipe's age and the pressure it is under, any attempt to fix it carries considerable risk of a major rupture, with attendant health threats for nearby residents and environmental impact. The Biwater representative described this as a looming "humanitarian crisis" for the city" and complained that Libyan authorities have so far only evinced concern with fixing the section of pipe adjacent to al-Qadhafi's compound, rather than addressing the broader issue of establishing a viable sewage and wastewater treatment plan for TRIPOLI 00000635 002 OF 002 the city. CLEAR EVIDENCE OF A LARGER PROBLEM 7. (C) Biwater estimates that there are eight major wastewater pipes currently running through Tripoli and into the sea. Most of these are linked to one of Tripoli's three main water treatment plants, but two of these are largely non-functional, and the third is running at half-capacity. Biwater estimates that roughly 10 million liters of untreated sewage is dumped into the sea just off Libya's coast every day. Representatives of U.S. engineering company AECOM, after conducting an initial Libyan wastewater treatment assessment in 2007, told Econoff that they had identified a total of 46 untreated sewage effluent sources nationwide with the help of Libyan authorities. Libya does not currently have the capacity to recycle wastewater for agricultural or other uses, so all water (mostly sourced from the ancient desert aquifers tapped by the Great Manmade River Project) that goes down the drain is routed directly into the Mediterranean Sea. Combined with subsidized rates for water usage and a lack of conservation measures, Libyans on average use twice as much water per annum as the average EU citizen, according to Biwater's statistics. The net result is that Libya, an extremely arid country, is spending considerable sums to pump water from the desert to the more densely populated littoral, where it is used once and then dumped into the sea. 8. (C) Comment: More than thirty years of neglect and poor infrastructure management have generated major needs for the redevelopment of Libya's infrastructure. U.S. companies are already starting to see some business opportunities to address these problems, and sizeable further projects are under discussion. The complexity and scope of these problems call for high-technology, high-end engineering solutions. U.S. firms, which Libyan officials have shown a particular interest in engaging in this sector, should be well-placed to tackle these engineering challenges and to secure potentially secure lucrative contracts to do so. End comment. STEVENS