On 26 December, Al-Monitor published an article entitled ‘Oil pollution threatens Libyan oases’ by Tripoli-based journalist Islam Alatrash. Alatrash explains that residents in oil-rich towns like Awkila are increasingly finding their crops and livelihoods at risk due to ongoing pollution. He asserts this pollution is caused by oil extraction operations in the middle of populated areas releasing gases. Alatrash interviewed several residents who blame low crop yields on neighbouring oil fields. Alatrash notes that one resident from Awjila claimed ‘unsafe disposal of petroleum oils pollutes the soil and even groundwater, which is the source of irrigation and drinking water in the area, resulting in dry crops’. The same resident said that local authorities have been contacted but have not acted. Alatrash further asserts that ‘locals have always called for abiding by international laws and conventions related to security and safety when extracting oil’. The article highlights that some are working to confront the increasing pollution in these areas, including the Libyan Al-Rakeb Organization for Safety and Environmental Protection. However, according to Bashir Brika, a member of the Libyan Organization for Environment and Culture, both domestic and foreign actors are not taking responsibility for the polluting effects of oil extraction. Brika claims that local oil companies seem uninterested while foreign oil companies are reluctant to act due to Libya’s ongoing political crisis reducing accountability. Furthermore, the Mayor of Awjila told Alatrash that the Ministry of Environment has said they have no authority to act on the ongoing pollution.
Read the full article here.