Sustainable Water Management and Institutional Challenges in Libya: A Groundwater Governance Perspective

Abstract

Due to its nearly complete reliance on non-renewable groundwater resources in an arid climate, Libya has significant issues with water sustainability. Groundwater depletion and environmental degradation are on the rise despite significant infrastructure investments like the Great Manmade River project. This study looks at Libya's sustainable water management, focusing on groundwater dependence and institutional governance. International reports, peer-reviewed articles, and hydrological assessments have all been included in a qualitative systematic literature review. The results imply that governance shortcomings, specifically institutional fragmentation, lax enforcement, and a lack of integrated water resource management, are linked to the Libyan crisis rather than actual water scarcity. The study emphasizes how fossil aquifers, like the North-West Sahara Aquifer System and the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, are being overused. In accordance with global sustainability frameworks like Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), the report concludes that institutional restructuring, decentralized management, enhanced hydrological monitoring systems, and reforms to demand management are necessary for attaining long-term water sustainability.