wcm.02.2018.33.35

Tajoura is a city located in the north western part of Libya on the Mediterranean coast, 14 kilometers east of the capital Tripoli. Like other Libyan cities Tajoura has its own concerns regarding water resources. Lack of a municipal sanitation system, excessive groundwater exploitation, disposing of waste and used chemicals in both the sea and the earth, and poor management in the municipal office have aggravated the water crisis in the city. The current investigation was based on a questionnaire survey, designed and conducted to measure public awareness of the water crisis and related consequences in Tajoura. Eleven hundred and thirty-two questionnaires were distributed and completed in person in eight localities in Tajoura . Results showed a high level of awareness in the major sections of the survey and a low level of awareness in a few questions, such as the contribution in water contamination. Ninety percent of the respondents believe that there are serious water problems in Tajoura. Concerning the municipality services, results showed that the majority of Tajoura residents have no access to the municipal water supply or sewage disposal piping systems. Seventy-one percent of the respondents chose desalination technology over a man-made river project as a strategic solution for the water shortage in Tajoura.