Oil pollution threatens Libyan oases
The populated areas near the oil fields in northeast Libya are suffering from pollution resulting from oil-related operations, in the absence of any action from authorities.
TRIPOLI, Libya — The residents of Libya’s oil-rich areas face the risk of their crops being polluted by the gases emitted from oil extraction operations. These areas produce millions of barrels of oil in the middle of populated areas, which not only destroys the planet but also kills Libyan crops and threatens the future of the local population.
Omran bin Sabaia, a 68-year-old Libyan farmer who owns a farm in the oasis town of Awjila, in al-Wahat district in the northeast of Libya, is disappointed that his crops are affected by oil pollution, even though his farm is located in an area known as one of the most fertile regions in the country.
Bin Sabaia, who has been working the land for 30 years, blames his low yield on nearby oil fields, just 3 kilometers (roughly 2 miles) from his farm.
“We are surrounded by oil fields from the west, east and south,” he told Al-Monitor, stressing that the state is ignoring the plight of farmers and their crops.
