Multi-Hazard Resilience of Desert Roads in Southern Libya: A Geo-Engineering Decision Framework

Background: Desert roads in southern Libya connect dispersed settlements but face interacting sand encroachment, episodic flash floods, extreme heat, and geotechnical deterioration. Objective: This article develops a transparent geo-engineering decision framework for multi-hazard resilience screening and selection of feasible interventions without claiming new field measurements. Methods: A critical, thematic synthesis of recent peer-reviewed research and publicly accessible Libyan hazard reports was organized around exposure, asset fragility, network criticality, intervention performance, and evidence confidence. A staged appraisal procedure integrates multi-hazard screening, engineering suitability checks, multicriteria comparison, and uncertainty testing. Results: The synthesis identifies distinct failure pathways: sand impedes carriageway operation, floods threaten drainage crossings and embankments, while heat and weak subgrades accelerate pavement distress. The proposed framework produces a hazard–asset matrix, a tiered portfolio of avoidance, protection, maintenance, and monitoring responses, and explicit gates for local verification. It distinguishes transferable international methods from location-specific evidence that remains incomplete. Discussion: Network redundancy and access to emergency services can change priorities even where physical damage is modest. Uncertain baseline conditions preclude numerical claims about local risk reduction or investment returns. Conclusion: A low-data screening framework can structure early decisions in southern Libya, provided that priority rankings are treated as provisional and validated using road inventories, drainage surveys, and local stakeholder review before design or procurement.