Tripoli, September 3, 2025 (WAL) – All Libyan cities and villages face a worsening crisis and numerous challenges in sewage management due to the deterioration of old networks, random construction caused by demographic growth, lack of urban planning, halted development and infrastructure upgrades due to political division, alongside the lack of public awareness to preserve the environment by stopping the disposal of plastic waste (bottles, cups, bags, etc.) in public roads, which causes blockages in already dilapidated networks.

Mohamed Karim, Director of the Media Office of the General Water and Sewage Company, told the Libyan News Agency today, Wednesday, that the company exerts all possible efforts within its available capabilities to carry out its duties. However, Libya’s sewage networks are old and suffer many violations, including theft of sewage system manhole covers that protect against blockages, citizens’ failure to preserve the environment, and illegal connections by residents near main roads to discharge black well water into drainage networks.

He added that climate change warns of significant rainfall this year that may exceed the capacity of sewage networks, causing rainwater accumulation especially in low-lying areas. The company launched a nationwide extensive campaign on August 20 to clean rainwater drainage networks, which will continue until spring 2026, alongside allocating special tankers to pump water and clear roads.

When asked about sewage network development projects, he said the company is responsible for operating and maintaining the general network and innovating solutions, noting that infrastructure projects fall under the concerned ministries. Nevertheless, the company has sent many communications to develop the network due to expanding construction, demographic growth, and increasing displacement and migration to major cities.

Karim called for updating and expanding sewage networks to keep pace with population growth and climate changes, monitoring random urban expansion, rehabilitating existing networks, starting new network construction, and allocating sufficient financial resources for repair, development, and rehabilitation.

It is worth noting that the sewage problem in Libya surfaces every rainy season and has caused school closures and work stoppages due to flooding of main roads in recent years, revealing the incapacity of sewage networks, some dating back to the Italian colonial era, to absorb rainwater. As for domestic sewage water, it poses a major health hazard due to environmental pollution, with specialists confirming that over 90% of domestic sewage water is either disposed of into the ground through black wells or pumped into the sea untreated due to the failure of most sewage treatment plants across the country.

(WAL)..

Follow-up and photography by Sasiya Ameed – Amira Altoumi.