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Libya's artificial river project is the most impressive engineering project ever seen before by humanity.
Construction of the world's largest artificial river: Libya, located in the north of the African continent, between Egypt and Algeria, is a country with the dark shadow of civil wars and much violence. But even despite this sad part of the country's history, it was announced that the Libyan Desert is carrying out one of the most impressive engineering projects ever seen in human history: the Great Artificial River of Libya. This incredible and monumental undertaking will be 2.820 km long. The main objective of this project is to meet the country's water needs, as water scarcity is a major challenge for the inhabitants there.
Libyan Desert will have the largest artificial river in the world
More than 90% of Libya's territory is made up of arid deserts, marked by water shortage, with areas that have not recorded rain for centuries, literally. Furthermore, Libya is the only country on the African continent and one of the few countries in the world that does not have a natural river, a very challenging reality for the development and well-being of the population.
But something surprising happened: while searching for new oil reserves, the Libyans discovered that there were vast underground aquifers, remnants of the last ice age, with the water in these aquifers estimated to disappear around 35.000 kmยณ, more than the amount of water found in all large North American lakes.
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With this discovery, the Libyans understood that they were facing an invaluable treasure for the Libyan Desert, opening space for a large and audacious project to be carried out there.
Phases of Libya's artificial river project
Following the discovery of the Libyans, the Government of Libya began the construction of the Great Artificial River of Libya, in favor of its population. With several phases to be carried out, the Libyan government's project involved everything from drilling hundreds of wells in water fields to installing kilometer-long pipelines to transport water to Libya's main cities.
1st phase: the beginning of the system
Known as GM1 or Phase 1, the first stage of the project began in 1983, with water being taken from wells in eastern Libya to the cities of Sirte and Benghazi. At this stage, the two-way pipe system was able to transport 2 million cubic meters of water daily, through approximately 1.600 km of pipelines.
2nd phase: range expansion
The second stage of the project took place in 1996, with the aim of supplying Tripoli, the capital of Libya, with water that came from 3 wells in the Jabal al Rauana region, in western Libya.
3rd phase: system integration
The third phase was divided into two parts: the first extended Phase 1, adding another 700 km of new pipelines and water pumping stations, increasing the total supply capacity to 13,68 million cubic meters. In the second part, more than 138.000 cubic meters were added daily to the city of Tobruk, in the northeast region of the country.
Next phases of the project
The project also includes two more phases, which involve the extensions of the Phase 1 system to the south of the country, reaching fields in the region of Al Kufrah. Once all phases are completed, the system's total capacity will be approximately 6,5 million cubic meters of water daily, distributed through more than 4.000 km of pipelines.
The construction of the world's largest artificial river in the Libyan Desert is a spectacular feat of engineering. The installed pipe sections, measuring 4 meters in diameter and 7 meters in length, are considered the largest in the world. The tubes were manufactured in Libya, made of steel-reinforced concrete and buried 7 meters deep.
Transformative work in the Libyan Desert
The major project for the largest artificial river in the world had a transformative impact on the country on the African continent. In total, more than 135 thousand hectares of land are being irrigated, resulting in a production of 270 thousand tons of grains, in addition to 760 thousand tons of annual fodder for animal feed. The country also sees its lands with an abundance of fruits and vegetables grown by its people.
In the future, the reach of Libya's artificial river will be extended with new tributaries, with the expectation of reaching all villages and communities in the country. Without a doubt, the Libya's Great Artificial River is an example of how well-applied engineering can overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges.
The project for the largest artificial river in the world transformed the reality of a country marked by water scarcity, providing well-being and increasing the quality of life of the people of Libya. Furthermore, the country demonstrated that, even in the face of adversity, it is possible to achieve feats of such magnitude that they change the course of its own history.
Wouldn't it be better to transport the water in large pipes, with diversions where necessary? Through canals, more than 50% will be lost through evaporation from the great desert.