Photo/Illutration Rescuers and relatives of victims set up tents in front of collapsed buildings in Derna, Libya, on Sept. 18. (AP Photo)

In ancient times, Libya was the name by which North Africa was broadly known.

And in the Book of Genesis of the Old Testament of the Bible, the area is the setting for the story of Noah’s Ark.

Regretting having allowed foolish humans to let evil run rampant in the world, God makes the fearsome decision to wipe out the world with a deluge.

But God decides to spare Noah and his family and instructs him to build an ark to exact specifications.

The vessel’s length of 135 meters is equivalent to about half that of a luxury cruise ship today.

“The windows of heaven were opened. Rain poured for 40 days and 40 nights,” according to the Bible.

After the deluge, one of Noah’s three sons settles in ancient Libya.

A fortnight has elapsed since present-day Libya was hit by devastating floods caused by the collapse of two dams. Photos of towns, reduced to muddy rubble, are hard to look at. They remind me of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.

The death toll currently stands at 4,014, with more than 8,500 people missing. But the overall extent of damage is still unknown, most likely because of the state of chaos Libya is in.

A nation divided by civil wars, Libya has two prime ministers--one heading the government based in Tripoli in the west and the other based in Tobruk in the east.

It breaks my heart to think of the growing possibility that the floods were man-made disasters owing to the division.

The two dams that collapsed under heavy rains needed repairs but were reportedly left neglected amid the civil wars.

Humans turn a blind eye to disasters waiting to happen so they can keep fighting their ongoing war, even though they know that people’s lives and livelihoods will be destroyed in the process.

Since the days of the Old Testament, human civilization has continued to develop to this day. But is human folly incapable of change? It is frustrating.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 26

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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