At a time when the impacts of climate change are accelerating and droughts are intensifying in North Africa, the National Economic and Social Development Board has warned of the worsening water crisis in Libya, emphasizing that the country today faces one of the most serious existential challenges threatening its current development and the future of its generations.
Dr. Bashir Ahmed Nweir, head of the National Water Security Strategy team, revealed in a statement to the “Libyan News Agency” that Libya faces water scarcity ranked among the worst globally, as approximately 90% of its area receives no more than 100 mm of rainfall annually, while the per capita share of renewable water does not exceed 120 cubic meters—eight times lower than the internationally recognized water poverty line.
He explained that the near-total reliance on non-renewable groundwater at a rate of 97%, combined with rapid population growth, increasing migration, and urban expansion, exacerbates the pressure on available resources amidst dilapidated supply networks that lose up to 30% of water before reaching consumers.
He added that traditional irrigation systems, which consume 85% of the water available to the agricultural sector, lose more than half of the quantities before they reach the plant roots.
Nweir pointed out that the repercussions of climate change further complicate the scene, confirming that Libya is witnessing a continuous decline in rainfall rates and an increase in evaporation rates, in addition to the recurrence of extreme climatic phenomena such as the Derna floods and droughts in Fezzan.
The National Strategy
He explained that the National Water Security Strategy 2050 is based on four main pillars: restructuring water sources by raising the contribution of desalination to 30% and enhancing the reuse of treated water; reforming financial distortions by reviewing water tariffs and attracting private sector investments; strengthening the institutional framework by issuing a law criminalizing the drilling of random wells and establishing an independent regulatory body; and technological transformation through the adoption of smart agriculture and the establishment of a national water research center.
Nweir stressed that southern Libya faces special challenges related to the management of transboundary groundwater basins such as the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer, which requires regional cooperation to avoid any future tensions, noting the importance of adopting the water-energy-food nexus concept to ensure the coordination of policies across the three sectors.
He also pointed out that desalination plants consume about 40% of the energy used in the water sector, considering that reliance on solar energy constitutes a strategic option to reduce costs. He emphasized that covering 0.1% of the Libyan desert with solar panels would be sufficient to produce energy enough to desalinate seawater for the country’s entire population.
Signs of Hope
Despite the severity of the crisis, Nweir indicated that applying drip irrigation systems to 20% of agricultural land could save the annual water needs of two million people, in addition to the possibility of increasing water storage by rehabilitating dams such as the Wadi Kaam Dam.
He concluded by saying that the national strategy “is not just a technical document, but a contract between generations,” asserting that the battle for water security in Libya represents a test of national will and the state’s ability to protect its natural resources and build a secure and sustainable future.