Review and assessment of water resources in Libya

Abstract One of the critical problems that hinder the sustainable development in Libya is the lack of renewable water resources. Rainfall in the country is scarce and infrequent. Over-exploitation of fossil groundwater resources mostly to meet irrigation demands has already affected the northern aquifers. This paper reviews the water resources in Libya and presents an assessment of its use in the municipal, industrial, and agricultural sectors. Both review and assessment are preceded by a short description of geographic location, climate, and populations. The available data have been developed for estimating the demands on water during a 25-year projection period. The estimates are given for two percentages of population growth, natural, and modified. The different estimates are finally compared to the available water resources in 1998 and the resources that can be made feasible during the projection period. Finally the total demand capacity is estimated in case serious measures to reduce the consumption ...