Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Zliten rising groundwater levels: A Collective Intelligence Approach
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
BIG BET
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is that Zliten Municipality is experiencing severe groundwater flooding, threatening public health, infrastructure, and livelihoods. The lack of a coordinated early warning system and comprehensive hazard mapping limits the municipality’s ability to mitigate these risks effectively. Furthermore, existing data gaps and fragmented stakeholder collaboration hinder the development of sustainable, community-driven solutions to address this environmental crisis.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
The rising groundwater levels in Zliten have created a multi-dimensional crisis, impacting agriculture, infrastructure, and public health. These challenges have been exacerbated by limited data availability, inadequate monitoring systems, and fragmented coordination among stakeholders. Key drivers of this issue include:
• Poor urban planning and unregulated construction exacerbating water mismanagement.
• Insufficient drainage infrastructure to manage excess water effectively.
• Lack of real-time monitoring systems for early detection and intervention.
Key stakeholders involved include the Zliten Municipality, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Planning, international organizations (e.g., WFP, UNDP, and UNOSAT), local universities, and community members. The undesired effects include damage to infrastructure, reduced agricultural productivity, and risks to public health, contributing to economic instability.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Several reports highlight the severity of the problem:
• WFP Rapid Assessment Report (February 2024): Documented a significant rise in groundwater levels affecting 35% of urban Zliten.
• UNOSAT Satellite Imagery: Confirmed water stagnation and fissure formations in key areas, endangering critical infrastructure.
• Zliten Municipality Reports (2024): Estimated $12 million in damages to public and private
properties due to groundwater flooding over three years.
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Key signals of the crisis include:
• Community concerns raised during workshops highlighting increasing fissures and agricultural disruptions.
• Reports from the OpenStreetMap community identifying infrastructure vulnerabilities exacerbated by
waterlogging.
• Feedback from local farmers on deteriorating crop yields due to salinization caused by rising groundwater.
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
The Accelerator Lab brings a unique value proposition to this challenge:
• Innovation in Environmental Monitoring: Leveraging remote sensing, IoT, and AI to develop real-time monitoring systems for groundwater levels and
fissures.
• Collective Intelligence Approach: Mobilizing local expertise, academia, and international partners to co-create solutions tailored to Zliten’s context.
• Scalability and Replicability: Prototyping solutions in Zliten that can be scaled to other affected municipalities, fostering resilience across Libya.
• Capacity Building: Equipping local stakeholders with skills to use data analytics and digital tools for decision-making.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
🌍 Tackling Zliten’s groundwater crisis with tech and Collective Intelligence! Using AI, remote sensing, and local collaboration, we aim to build resilience and turn challenges into opportunities. #Zliten #EnvironmentalResilience #UNDP
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the partner:
1. Ministry of Local Governance: through the High Technical Committee for Monitoring the Rise of Groundwater Phenomenon appointed by the Ministry of Local Government
2. UNOSAT: Through Teodoro Hunger, a Geospatial and Satellite Imagery Analyst from UNOSAT, who gave a session showcasing the use of satellite imagery analysis to map groundwater rise in Zliten
3. Qatar Computing Research Institute: Through a presentation delivered by Dr. Muhammed Imran, Senior Scientist, showcasing the use of remote sensing, computer vision, and social media analytics in enhancing emergency response systems
4. Zliten Municipality: Local governance and implementation of pilot projects.
5. Libyan Universities and OpenStreetMap Libya: Research, capacity building,
and mapping critical areas.
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
High Technical Committee for Monitoring the Rise of Groundwater Phenomenon appointed
by the Ministry of Local Government co-organised the event
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
1. How can remote sensing and AI be utilized to develop real-time monitoring systems for environmental crises?
2. What collective intelligence methods best engage local communities and stakeholders in sustainable
solutions?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense, Explore, Test
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Remote Sensing: Applied to map the most affected areas in Zliten and identify city infrastructure risks.
Prototyping: Pilot IoT sensors in Zliten, integrating them with municipal systems for alerts.
Stakeholder Workshops: Co-creating long-term solutions by engaging local and international partners.
Scenario Planning: Developing forecasts to anticipate shifts in groundwater trends.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Lack of real-time data on groundwater trends.
Limited integration of community feedback into municipal planning.
Insufficient data-sharing mechanisms between stakeholders
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
The Zliten initiative presents a model for tackling complex environmental challenges in Libya and beyond. By harnessing collective intelligence, technology, and stakeholder collaboration, we aim to turn Zliten’s crisis into
a blueprint for resilience. Early champions like the Ministry of of Local Governance and R&D through the academic institutions will ensure the initiative’s growth and scalability, contributing to Libya’s broader environmental and economic recovery.
END OF ACTION LEARNING PLAN: Thank you! The form saves automatically and your submission has been recorded. You may now exit this window.
6Clean water and sanitation
11Sustainable cities and communities
13Climate action
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