The tragedy in Libya highlights the devastating and cascading consequences of extreme weather on fragile states and shows the need for a multi-hazard early warnings which embrace all levels of government and society, said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.
Extreme rainfall from a storm system called Storm Daniel has hit parts of the Mediterranean, causing devastating flooding and loss of life in Libya, the worst affected country, as well as in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria.
On Friday and Saturday, 8 & 9 / 9 / 2023, the northwestern regions of Libya were affected by weather fluctuations as a result of an air depression of 1003 hPa, which was accompanied by a thunderstorm and rain ranging between 20 - 51 mm and leading to the closure of some roads due to water accumulation.
The Ministry of Water Resources in Tripoli, Libya, with the support of FAO Office for Libya organized a National Training Workshop within the Strategic Framework of FAO to support gender equality and women’s empowerment at the HQ of the Ministry of Water Resources in Tripoli, from 13 – 14 / 6 / 2023. The overall aim of the training workshop was to strengthen national capacities to monitor water consumption and productivity through remote sensing, and to adopt effective options for increasing water productivity in Fezzan region, so that it can be scaled up as a pilot program throughout Libya for the purpose of improving knowledge on the irrigation infrastructure damages and the impact on water efficiency. Moreover, food security in Libya, particularly in Fezzan region, will be strengthened through more efficient use of agricultural water.
The western regions of Libya have been affected since Monday evening 8 / 5 / 2023 by a Saharan depression of 1002 hPa, which was accompanied by active south-westerly winds to strong speed reaching 70 km/hour, and leading to a decrease in horizontal visibility to less than 200 meters in most areas.
