Start-up of Project on Mobilizing the Potential of Treated Wastewater and Drainage Water for Agricultural Development in Libya

Tunis 27 Sep 2019  The Opening Ceremony of the national start-up workshop for the project on Mobilizing the Potential of Treated Wastewater and Drainage Water for Agricultural Development in libya was launched today in Tunisia, with the presence of Mr. Fathi Biram who represented the Libyan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Marine Resources, and Mohamed Al-Ansi, Officer-in-Charge of the FAO Representative in Libya.

This workshop is one of the activities of the project, which aims at producing a diagnosis of the production, storage and use of unconventional water sources in agriculture through national assessment reports of the Maghreb countries, to be followed by a sub-regional action plan highlighting the potential for collaboration and fostering investment.

Fathi Beram, assistant undersecretary of the Libyan Ministry of Agriculture stressed the importance of this workshop, in spite of the harsh situation in Libya, as “it reaffirms Libya’s commitment to its role and responsibilities in dealing with the consequences of climate change in agriculture, and its readiness to invest in the sustainable use of water,"

For Mohamed Al-Ansi, Officer-in-Charge of the FAO Representative in Libya, this national workshop reflects the organization's insistence on completing all efforts aiming at addressing water scarcity in the region, and putting the necessary action plans for protecting this strategic natural resource in light of climate change, with the aim of achieving sustainable agriculture.”

"This workshop will draw up a roadmap for needed investments in treating water for agricultural development, which will help investors take informed decisions, based on real data that really reflects national needs," said Mr. Ansi.

The workshop began with an overview of the situation of the reuse of treated wastewater and drainage in Libya presented by Mr. Fathi Biram. Then Mr. Abdourahman Maki of the FAO Sub-regional Office presented a global overview on the FAO Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity (RIWS).

Mr. Faycel Chenini of FAO explained in detail the elements of the project, initiating the discussion among participants from various institutions representing the main actors involved in the use of treated wastewater and drainage water in agriculture.

The national multidisciplinary team was identified. They will accompany the implementation of the project through all of its phases from field research on the use of non-conventional water to generating actionable results that support fundraising and the development of treated wastewater and drainage water reuse programs in Libya.

This project is part of the Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity launched by FAO in 2013 to support the countries of the NENA region (Near East and North Africa) to address two of their most urgent challenges: food security and water security for sustainable economic and social development in a context of water scarcity.