In a move to address the escalating groundwater flooding crisis in Zliten, Libyan Prime Minister Osama Hammad of the eastern-based government met with local parliamentary representatives on Tuesday to formulate an immediate response strategy.
The meeting, held in the Prime Minister’s Office in Benghazi, saw the participation of Mohammed Hadi Ezzedine, Abdel Salam Qweirib, Naema Ramadan Delf, and Deputy Minister of Local Governance Abu Bakr Misadaf. It focused on developing effective measures to combat the rising groundwater levels that pose a severe risk to the livelihoods and safety of Zliten’s inhabitants.
As the government’s media office noted, the situation in Zliten is dire, necessitating swift and decisive action to tackle the environmental crisis. The city, already suffering from the effects of groundwater overflow, finds itself at a critical juncture, needing both immediate relief and sustainable long-term solutions.
Following directives from Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Prime Minister Hammad declared a state of maximum emergency in Zliten, initiating rapid response measures to protect the community from the dangers of the groundwater surge. This move highlights the government’s commitment to mobilizing all necessary resources to resolve the crisis.
The emergency response in Zliten reflects the larger challenges Libya faces in water management and urban planning, issues that have become more acute in the wake of the country’s ongoing recovery from the 2011 uprising.
Meanwhile, Zliten residents expressed frustration with the lack of tangible action from the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) and its committees, which were tasked to address the worsening situation. In a statement released Monday, locals called for urgent solutions, citing the growing severity of the crisis and the government’s failure to protect the city’s 350,000 residents.
Highlighting the urgency, citizens pointed to a distressing incident where a toddler nearly drowned after falling into a pit filled with water, underscoring the escalating danger of the crisis. The child is currently in critical condition in a hospital.
Despite temporary measures like water pumping and pit refilling, Zliten continues to lack sustainable solutions to control the spread of the groundwater threat. Experts are expected to visit the city soon to assess the situation and propose long-term remedies for the rising groundwater levels.