Major Flood at University of Iceland
A water main break near the University of Iceland campus overnight has resulted in major flood damage in several buildings on campus, including the Main Building, mbl.is reports. There will be no operation in the affected buildings at least until noon today.
At present, water is being pumped out of the buildings, one of which, Lögberg, is without electricity. Firefighters form three fire stations have been pumping water out of the buildings since the leakage was discovered. The main that broke is on Suðurgata road, between the Main Building and the Háskólatorg building. The cause of the leakage is not known, but crews have lately been working on replacing old water pipes on Suðurgata.
Kristinn Jóhannesson, technical project manager at the university, tells
mbl.is
the damage is enormous. Water flowed into basements and ground floors. “It ruined everything that is sensitive to water – including walls,” he states.
The main broke shortly before 1 am, sending
2,250 tons
of cold water streaming out of control at the speed of 500 liters per second. It took 75 minutes to contain. The leakage was discovered at Veitur control center, when workers noted a major drop in water pressure west of Snorrabraut road.
This is one of the
largest
water leakages that capital area firefighters have encountered in recent years.
Some on-site instruction had resumed at the university after Christmas break, but this may result in an increased emphasis on online instruction.