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Utilisation of Groundwater in Jebel el Akhdar, North-East Libya, as a Basis of Agricultural Improvement with Special Emphasis on the El Marj Plain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2015

A. A. Bukechiem
A. A. Bukechiem*
Affiliation:
Geography Department, Garyounis University, Benghazi, Libya
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Abstract

The critical criteria for regional agricultural development are water and heat. The Jebel el Akhdar region has a semi-arid climate with a marked water shortage except in the winter months. In this paper estimates are made of the runoff which offsets the dry spring and summer and of the storage in the aquifers.

The water level records in such regions as El Marj confirm gradual and regular lowering of the water level in the main aquifer. The associated rise of the salt water/fresh water interface is alarming. Great attention must be paid to variation of such storage reservoirs. This situation in the El Marj area is relatively stable compared with other regions of Libya, reflecting the limited demand and relative storage, particularly when water is utilised from the El Gharigh flood.

The imbalance in the hydrological basin needs more care in its management and use.

Type
Articles
Information
Libyan Studies , Volume 24 , 1993 , pp. 121 - 142
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Libyan Studies 1993

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