'Catastrophic' pollution plagues Libya beaches — See pictures

'Catastrophic' pollution plagues Libya beaches — See pictures

With untreated sewage in the water and rubbish piled on the sand, pollution on Tripoli's Mediterranean coast is denying residents of the war-torn Libyan capital a much-needed escape. Credit: AFP Photo

In July, the environment ministry ordered the closure of a number of beaches along the 30-kilometre (18-mile) Greater Tripoli coastline, despite the roasting summer heat. Credit: AFP Photo

Daily discharges of untreated sewage from the capital's two million population make this the most polluted section of the North African country's 1,770-kilometre coastline. Credit: AFP Photo

Cans, plastic bags and bottles plague the water and shore. On one beach, near a large hotel, open-air rivulets channel untreated wastewater into the sea, where a few young men brave the contaminated waters in search of cool breeze. Credit: AFP Photo

An aerial view of Libya's Farwa Island, about 170 kilometres west of the capital and close to the border with Tunisia. Once famed for its exceptional wildlife, Libya's Farwa island risks becoming just another victim of lawlessness in the war-ravaged North African nation, activists struggling to save it warn. Credit: AFP Photo

But Tripoli's only sewage works closed years before that, like many industrial facilities shuttered for lack of maintenance or funding. Credit: AFP Photo

As a result, all of Tripoli's wastewater goes directly into the Mediterranean. Credit: AFP Photo

Laboratory tests have found

In these times, the authority is planning “temporary solutions

Libyans spend time at the beach at the capital Tripoli's waterfront, on August 21, 2021. Credit: AFP Photo