Development of a sustainable water management strategy in the Alwahat area of Libya

Groundwater in the Alwahat region of Libya is a non-renewable resource, and is the only source of water for agricultural land in the region. The aim of this research is to explore the contemporary performance of the groundwater sector in Libya and to develop a strategy for providing a sustainable groundwater resource to achieve a social, economic and environmentally-sustainable water future. Perceptions about groundwater sustainability are elicited from 769 local stakeholders. This analysis is conducted using a triangulated mixed-methods design, to interpret the collected information. Conflicts of opinion among the stakeholders are exposed, highlighting controversies concerning their levels of satisfaction with water supplies, their awareness of water sustainability issues, their understanding of recent changes in groundwater quality and the environmental impact of water use, and future solutions to prevent water misuse. In addition to this, there is an examination of what officials report as the extensive misuse of water due to the installation of pumps, and some of the farmers abstracting drinking water from the network for irrigations well as digging deeper into the ground and sinking more wells, which abstracts excessive amounts of water and lowers the groundwater level. The known reasons of groundwater contamination discussed in this study include oil operations, increased salinity in water soil infiltration, and crop fertilization which is established by reliable sources; however no contemporary quantitative or qualitative monitoring data is available.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Nottingham Trent University

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Alamin, SA

Language dc:language

en