Libya’s surroundings are shaped by formal responsibilities but fragmented day-to-day delivery. The Ministry of Environment handles environmental policy, pollution control, water-source protection, environmental impact assessments, permits and inspections. The Ministry of Local Government and municipalities handle local infrastructure, sanitation and solid-waste services. The General Company for Water and Wastewater, known as GCWW, is responsible for formal household and non-household water supply and wastewater services. The General Electricity Company of Libya, or GECOL, provides the public electricity network. The National Authority for Urban Planning handles urban and regional planning, while the High National Elections Commission manages municipal elections. The Libyan Mine Action Centre and UNMAS support the removal of explosive remnants of war. Water access is highly dependent on location and infrastructure. More than 90% of supply comes from non-renewable groundwater, and the Man-Made River provides about 60% of freshwater demand. Overuse lowers groundwater levels and increases saltwater intrusion and water stress. Formal alternatives include wells, desalination and GCWW connections; households and institutions may also depend on tankers or bottled water when network service is interrupted. Cited water, sanitation and hygiene indicators are not interchangeable, but they show uneven service: one set reports 24% safely managed sanitation and 68% basic sanitation, while another reports 92% at least basic service and 7% limited service. The National Water and Sanitation Strategy to 2050 was politically adopted in 2026 and includes a target to reduce network losses below 25%, but nationwide implementation and access remain unequal. Electricity outages are frequent and can make water supply less reliable because pumps, treatment facilities and private storage systems depend on power. GECOL’s public network is the formal provider, and outage reports can be submitted through 1418. No reliable nationwide outage rate is established in the available evidence. Solar-powered pumps and treatment systems provide local resilience rather than a uniform national replacement for the public electricity network. In 2025, climate-resilient systems reached about 642,600 people; 40 solar pumping or treatment systems were installed or supported, and 58% of beneficiaries were reached through renewable-energy systems. Flooding and damaged infrastructure have changed local conditions. Storm Daniel in 2023 affected about 1.5 million people, damaged 205 water and wastewater facilities and caused approximately USD 186 million in damage. The estimated reconstruction need was about USD 1.8 billion. In Zliten, groundwater flooding has been linked to leaking infrastructure, septic systems, weak drainage and sewerage, and pressure on coastal aquifers. Eastern and southern regions generally face weaker water, sanitation and hygiene systems. In Kufra, reported problems include accumulated waste, unreliable water sources, inadequate toilets and wastewater ponds at displacement sites. Air quality is a significant environmental condition. The WHO’s 2025 figure for Libya’s annual average PM2.5 concentration was 30 micrograms per cubic metre, six times the WHO guideline of 5 micrograms. Libya has no demonstrated nationwide PM2.5 legal standard in the available evidence, and compliance data are limited. Sources include traffic, power plants, oil and gas flaring, dust and open waste burning. Publicly available Ministry of Environment measurements have mainly concerned Tripoli and Mellitah, including older 2010 reports, rather than a current nationwide monitoring series. Noise conditions are also local rather than nationally measured. A 2024 study recorded noise at seven sites in Tripoli. Main sources include road traffic, mixed urban uses, commercial and leisure activity, and industry. No reliable nationwide noise map or monitoring indicator has been established. Complaints are generally handled through local authorities and administrative channels, whose response capacity differs by area. Green space is limited by geography and water scarcity. About 95% of Libya’s land area is desert. Urban parks and planted areas mainly depend on municipal projects and local maintenance capacity, and there is no reliable national indicator for access to green space. Al Jmail Park was under construction in 2026. Irrigation and maintenance can be difficult where water is scarce, so the presence of a planned park does not guarantee consistent public access or quality. Waste collection and disposal remain fragmented. The national solid-waste-management plan for 2025–2030 assigns responsibilities for policy, financing, coordination between municipalities, collection, treatment infrastructure and circular-economy measures. Actual collection and treatment vary by municipality. Open burning creates air pollution, and plastic waste can block drainage systems. Informal recycling is widespread, but worker protection is weak. Kufra has faced acute waste accumulation. Collection charges and service fees depend on the locality, and no reliable nationwide fee schedule is available. Safety concerns include explosive remnants of war, floods, rising groundwater, contaminated water and extreme heat. In 2024, about 436 million square metres were reported as contaminated by explosive remnants of war. More than 400 people had been injured or killed over the preceding five years, including 35 incidents in 2024 and 26 children. In 2025, more than 57,203 explosive remnants were removed, 222,214,175 square metres were surveyed and 1,281,934 square metres were cleared. Environmental emergencies can be reported to the Ministry of Environment through 197 or through WhatsApp numbers +218946052376 and +218930689851. Clearance and emergency response do not remove all risks from contaminated or recently damaged areas. Participation takes place through municipal councils, civil-society organizations, local dialogue and citizen or environmental reports. Municipal elections were held in 119 municipalities during 2024–2026. About 700,000 voters were registered, approximately 500,000 votes were cast and turnout was reported at 72%. Those elected included 207 women and 119 people with disabilities. The Baladiyati programme recorded more than 700 interventions in 40 municipalities affecting more than 3 million people, but participation quality and implementation capacity remain uneven. Environmental duties include preventing pollution, handling waste responsibly and protecting designated areas under the relevant legal framework, including Law 7/1982 and Law 15/2003. The practical force of these rules depends on local enforcement and institutional capacity. Connection charges, supply fees, tanker prices and bottled-water prices vary by service, locality and crisis conditions. Repair and access times also depend on the event, region and infrastructure. Displaced people, migrants, refugees and households in informal or overcrowded settlements may face additional barriers to water, sanitation, waste and emergency services. Libya’s National Drought Management Strategy, the 2025–2030 waste plan, the 2026–2035 climate framework and the water strategy to 2050 show policy activity, but available evidence still indicates that implementation is progressing more slowly than policy development.
Surroundings in Libya
Everyday surroundings in Libya include access to water, electricity, sanitation, waste collection, roads, green space, air and quiet, as well as exposure to floods, heat and explosive remnants of war such as unexploded weapons left after conflict. Conditions vary sharply by region, city size, conflict damage and infrastructure condition, and no single nationwide service standard describes daily access. More than 90% of Libya’s water supply comes from non-renewable groundwater, while frequent electricity outages can increase dependence on tankers, wells, desalination and bottled water. Environmental oversight and local services involve national bodies and municipalities, but implementation and complaint handling remain uneven.
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