Libyan town suffers severe shortage of drinking water

Record ID: 1717140

  • Title: Libyan town suffers severe shortage of drinking water
  • Date: 22nd March 2023
  • Summary: SULUQ, LIBYA (MARCH 9, 2023) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF A CANAL CONTAINING TRASH AND PLASTIC WASTE VARIOUS OF WATER TREATMENT PLANT / PIPELINES VARIOUS OF SULUQ MUNICIPALITY OFFICIAL, SAAD AL-FAKHRI, IN OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SULUQ MUNICIPALITY OFFICIAL, SAAD AL-FAKHRI, SAYING: “The point is that people have resorted to individual solutions. If a citizen dug a well, he would unfortunately, as a result of the mixing of sewage water with groundwater, find the water contaminated within a day or two. The 40-year-old pipelines had issues and were burnt so the water was mixed with sewage. When you open the tap, you will find sewage water coming out. People are suffering from a lot of diseases because of this. We have prepared various reports about this issue to the environment and health ministries that there’s contaminated water in various streets in the municipality of Suluq.” VARIOUS OF WATER TREATMENT PLANT / PIPELINES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SULUQ MUNICIPALITY OFFICIAL, SAAD AL-FAKHRI, SAYING: “Citizens are suffering in Suluq especially with (drinking) water and sewage, as I told you, but citizens are also suffering from the cost of water. The cost of one vehicle (to transport water) is more than 80 Libyan Dinars ($16.6) and you know the financial situation especially at this period, there’s no liquidity.” VARIOUS OF A VEHICLE TRANSPORTING WATER TO PEOPLE / HOSES ON GROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SULUQ MUNICIPALITY OFFICIAL, SAAD AL-FAKHRI, SAYING: “These are some problems I told you about concerning water, especially in the area of Al-Sayd neighbourhood. As you see, because the pumping stations are weak, water does not reach homes, the water might not reach homes even though it could be running for 24 hours.” SULUQ, LIBYA (MARCH 12, 2023) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MACHINE FOR PUMPING WATER / HOSE VARIOUS OF CHILDREN CARRYING WATER BOTTLES AND WALKING SULUQ, LIBYA (MARCH 9, 2023) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SULUQ MUNICIPALITY OFFICIAL, SAAD AL-FAKHRI, SAYING: “There are a lot of health-related issues in these homes, but what can they do? Some people work in the nearby school for electricity because there’s no light and no water. This is what I’m talking about, this is a big neighbourhood, we have been reaching out to parliament and successive governments for 11 years but there are still no services in this residential neighbourhood.” SULUQ, LIBYA (MARCH 12, 2023) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF A RESIDENT EXPLAINING THE DIFFICULTY OF TRANSPORTING WATER TO HIS HOUSE SULUQ, LIBYA (MARCH 9, 2023) (REUTERS) SIGN READING (Arabic): “Public company for water and sewage, services office in Suluq.” EXTERIOR OF PUBLIC COMPANY FOR WATER AND SEWAGE SULUQ, LIBYA (MARCH 12, 2023) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT, ABDELAALI AL-FAKHERY, SAYING: “We have been suffering from a shortage of water since the first day we’ve resided here. Water is weak, the water comes from agricultural pipelines. There is no long-lasting solution. Even if we dig a well, it becomes contaminated. They say the reservoir is close to us, but it’s around 500 metres away.” A RESIDENT FILLING JERRY CAN WITH WATER
  • Embargoed: 5th April 2023 12:03
  • Keywords: LIBYA SHORTAGE WATER
  • Location: SULUQ, LIBYA
  • City: SULUQ, LIBYA
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: Africa,Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA001895421032023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Abdelaali al-Fakhery and his family of nine struggle on a daily basis to acquire drinking water in their town of Suluq, west of Libya’s Benghazi.
    Al-Fakhery spends around 80 dinars (16.6 USD) for a vehicle that transports water, as pipelines connected to his house are often blocked with sewage and too weak for the flow of water.
    “We have been suffering from a shortage of water since the first day we’ve lived here,” al-Fakhery said. “There is no long-lasting solution. Even if we dig a well, it becomes contaminated, they say the reservoir is close to us, but it’s around 500 metres away,” he added.
    The 40-year-old pipelines feeding the town are in dire need of maintenance, a crisis that has been exacerbated by attacks on the pipelines according to official reports.
    A municipality official, Saad al-Fakhri, says they have submitted complaints to successive governments and parliament which haven’t been addressed.
    “When you open the tap, you will find sewage water coming out. People are suffering from a lot of diseases because of this,” al-Fakhri said. “We have prepared various reports about this issue to the environment and health ministries that there’s contaminated water in various streets in the municipality of Suluq,” he added.
    Libya’s more than a decade of unrest and civil war has had its toll on the infrastructure in various parts of the country.
    (Production: Essam AlFetori, Ayman al-Warfalli, Hani Amara, Hamuda Hassan, Mariam Rizk)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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