International Science and Technology Journal

This paper aimed to study the effect of rising groundwater levels on the infrastructure and foundations in the city of Ajdabiya. Where, the water level rose in some neighborhoods of the city and led to the appearance of water in the basements of some houses and affecting their foundations and concrete structures. The method of monitoring, follow-up and evaluation of buildings affected by the rise in groundwater and the most important associated problems was used. The problems were classified into: Problems during the construction phase as a result of water leakage into the construction area, which in turn leads to construction delays and increased cost. And problems after construction, including: foundation subsidence, cracked floors, water leakage and flooding of basements, mold growth and peeling paint, wall cracks and chemical attack on walls and foundations. To protect the reinforced concrete foundations from attacking the groundwater during the construction of the building, the foundations must be isolated from the groundwater using some different methods of waterproofing. The damaged buildings were classified into three levels, the first and second levels can be treated buildings by adding insulating materials. While, the third level, in which the damage rate has reached high levels, with which insulating materials do not work to solve the problem, the best solution in this case is to demolish the building completely. The study recommended making sure to examine the soil and design the foundations with complete care before implementing the construction and pay attention to type of materials used and ensure their suitability to nature of the area, in addition use standards setting and specifications to determine the rate of damage to buildings, and finally, the need to address the issue of groundwater height and include treatment within future projects. Keywords: Groundwater -Foundations-Infrastructure - Cracks- Subsidence