Abstract
ABSTRACT Libya relies on local groundwater, transported groundwater and desalination for urban water supply. Yearly, these three sources provide a total of 600x106 m3. Libya’s water network coverage rates are not known but estimates put a national average of around 65%, which leads to an average national supply per capita estimate of 420 l/c/d. Supply per capita seems high even when compared to countries with similar adjusted wealth. In order to reduce wastage and achieve a more reasonable per capita consumption figure, two tasks need to be done. The first task, which was the main focus of a previous published paper, is to assess the current situation in terms of supply/demand, asset, financial and organizational levels. The second task, which is the main focus of this paper, is to propose a proactive plan that is required in the long-run to bring supply per capita down and preserve water resources. Future water demands have been studied with two main cases; uncontrolled water demand case and controlled water demand case. Two scenarios within each case have been proposed and analyzed with different assumptions. The main findings are: (1) Uncontrolled demand will result in increased wastage of financial and water resources; (2) With the consumption management program in place, Libya’s supply per capita is expected to go down gradually to a level comparable to similar countries in the region.