More than 90% of the country of Libya is made up of desert, making it one of the driest places on earth. There were significant problems with the water supply for millions of people. Oil firms discovered a sizable water resource after they delved down far more than they had anticipated. Muammar Gaddafi immediately put it to use since he found it to be such a huge relief.
Building and Water Supply
The Great Man-Made River, the world's largest irrigation system, which consisted of a network of pipelines that brought water from ancient underground aquifers deep in the Sahara to the coast of Libya, provided high-quality fresh water to the people of Libya for domestic use, agriculture, and industry.
There are four significant subterranean depressions. The entire area of the Kufra basin is 950 000 sq. km. The 600-meter-deep aquifers are thought to have enough water to cover an area larger than 73,000 square kilometers.
The feasibility studies for the project were completed in 1974, and it will take 55 years to complete. The idea was developed for the first time in the 1960s. Between the productive fields in the south and the destination cities in the north, the dual 1,600 km pipeline of Phase I could move 2 million cubic meters of water daily. Three million cubic meters of water were piped to Tripoli's capital city and the nearby metropolitan regions in the second stage. Farmers were given free land, equipment, seeds, and fertilizer so they could cultivate crops and tamed animals.
Cost
Muammar Gaddafi constructed it for a staggering $25 billion without assistance from powerful nations or loans from international financial organizations. He financed the entire enterprise with proceeds from the selling of oil. Construction took years, and there were numerous stages of design and execution. The majority of the parts were domestically produced, and the rest were imported from North Korea. Although there was a cap on the number of foreign workers, practically all of the contracts under the program went to local businesses.
Destruction
Libya's access to water is seriously threatened. The building damage is what is currently providing me the most cause for concern. The Hassan system, which provides water to one-third of the nation, was the target of the most recent attack.
More than 70% of the building had been finished when the Gaddafi rebellion got going in early 2011
The upheaval caused by the civil war, however, severely strained and vandalized the enterprise and its web of infrastructure. Rival parties utilized interruptions in the water supply as a weapon, escalating conflicts. This has put the majority of Libya's 6.3 million citizens' access to water in jeopardy.
However, on July 22, NATO planes targeted the Brega pipeline factory. NATO asserts that Gaddafi's soldiers kept weapons in the structure. The initiative that was meant to assist Libya in creating a sustainable agricultural sector and achieving water independence has been put on hold indefinitely due to the country's protracted turmoil.
Right now's Project Progress
The GMR is in danger due to issues with electric cities and running out of gas. The machinery is in danger since there aren't enough replacement components and the required chemicals.
It is incredibly difficult to perform long-lasting repairs in Libya due to the bloodshed, political unrest, and economic disarray that are prevalent there.
Coastal aquifers become contaminated as a result of seawater intrusion. It's crucial to keep older desalination facilities maintained. No new ones will be constructed as long as the conflict exists. The nation currently imports the great bulk of the food it consumes as a result of the collapse of its inexperienced irrigation infrastructure.
Source;https://youtu.be/-WhK0XeMUG0
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