In June 2017, The Libya Observer reported a warning from Fathallah Naas, who sat on the board of Libya's General Company for Desalination and headed the Tobruk desalination plant. He said all of Libya's desalination plants faced a halt within two months because the chemicals required for treatment were running out, with stocks sufficient for only that period. Around 1.5 million people relying on desalinated water would be affected. The company saw no alternative supply.
The report showed how heavily desalinated water supply in Libya depended on a reliable flow of operating materials, not only on the plant technology itself.
Source: The Libya Observer