9 Feb 2021 by OOSKAnews Correspondent TRIPOLI, Libya
Four million Libyans face imminent water shortage if new solutions are not implemented to tackle declining water, sanitation and health (WASH) conditions in the conflict-torn country, according to a 1 February UNICEF statement.
WASH conditions in Libya have deteriorated as a result of escalating violence and unrest following civil war and the killing of the country’s leader, Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Recurring attacks on Libya s Great Manmade River systems have eliminated the use of around 190 wells across the country, and a lack of funding prevents them from being restored.
In the sanitation sector, 65 Percent of households and institutions are connected to cesspits – underground tanks which collect and store wastewater and sewage without processing or treating it – rather than public networks, resulting in contamination of underground reservoirs.