May 31st, 2018
I have repeatedly come across mentions of this Libyan project, but all the information that I came across resembled some kind of “conspiracy theory”. Of course, this couldn’t be done without it, but here are some details for you (who haven’t read it yet) about the implementation and current state of this huge project.
The largest engineering and construction project of our time is considered The Great Manmade River- a huge underground network of water pipelines that daily supplies 6.5 million cubic meters of drinking water per day to populated areas in the desert regions and coast of Libya. The project is incredibly significant for this country, but it also gives reasons to look at the former leader of the Libyan Jamahiriya, Muammar Gaddafi, in a slightly different light from that painted by the Western media. Perhaps this is precisely what can explain the fact that the implementation of this project was practically not covered by the media.
This huge system of pipes and aqueducts, which also includes more than 1,300 wells more than 500 meters deep, supplies the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirte and others. Muammar Gaddafi called this river the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” In 2008, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized the Great Man-Made River as the largest irrigation project in the world.
Let's find out more about this project...
In the 1960s, 4 giant underground water reservoirs were discovered in the Sahara Desert in Libya.
1). the Kufra basin,
2). the Sirt basin
3) the Morzuk basin and
4). the Hamada basin. The first three contain 35 thousand cubic KILOMETERS of water!
Back in the 80s, Gaddafi began a large-scale project to create a network of water resources, which was supposed to cover Libya, Egypt, Sudan and Chad.
In October 1983, a Project Authority was created to transport water from southern Libya, where the underwater lakes are located, to northern, industrialized Libya. In 1996, artesian water came to the houses of the capital Tripoli!
By the beginning of the war, this project was almost realized. They say it's 2/3 done. The task was, it must be said, historical for the entire North African region, because the problem of water has been relevant here since the times of Phenicia. And, more importantly, not a single penny from the IMF was spent on a project that could have turned the whole of North Africa into a blooming garden. It is with the latter fact that some analysts associate the destabilization of the situation in the region.
The desire for a global monopoly on water resources is already the most important factor in world politics. Maghreb-Nachrichten from 03/20/2009 reports: “At the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, the Libyan authorities presented a water supply project for the first time. The little-known nature of the project is explained by the fact that the Western media practically did not cover it, and yet the project has surpassed the world's largest construction projects in cost: the project cost is $25 billion.
The fundamental difference between the Libyan irrigation project is that it uses a virtually inexhaustible underground rather than surface water source to irrigate agricultural land, which is easily subject to significant damage in a short period of time. Water is transported in a closed manner using 4 thousand kilometers of steel pipes buried deep in the ground. Water from artesian basins is pumped through 270 shafts from a depth of several hundred meters. One cubic meter of crystal clear water from Libyan underground reservoirs, taking into account all the costs of its extraction and transportation, cost the Libyan state only 35 cents, which is approximately comparable to the cost of a cubic meter of cold water in a large Russian city, for example, Moscow. If we take into account the cost of a cubic meter of drinking water in European countries (about 2 euros), then the cost of artesian water reserves in Libyan underground reservoirs is, according to rough estimates, almost 60 billion euros. Agree that such a volume of a resource that continues to grow in price may be of much more serious interest than oil.
With its water project, Libya could start a real green revolution. Literally, of course, which would solve a lot of food problems in Africa. And most importantly, it would ensure stability and economic independence.
Moreover, there are already known cases when global corporations blocked water projects in the region. There is an opinion that the World Bank and the IMF deliberately blocked the construction of a canal on the White Nile - Jonglei Canal - in southern Sudan, which was started there and abandoned after the American intelligence services provoked the growth of separatism there. For the IMF, of course, it is much more profitable to impose its own expensive projects, such as desalination. An independent Libyan project did not fit into their plans. In neighboring Egypt, over the past 20 years, all projects to improve irrigation and water supply have been sabotaged by the International Monetary Fund.
It is noteworthy that, speaking at the celebration of the anniversary of the start of construction of the river, on September 1 last year, Gaddafi said: “Now that this achievement of the Libyan people has become obvious, the US threat against our country will double!” In addition, several years ago, Gaddafi stated that the Libyan irrigation project would be “the most serious response to America, which constantly accuses Libya of sympathizing with terrorism and living on petrodollars.” A very eloquent fact was the support of this project by former Egyptian President Mubarak. And this is probably not a mere coincidence.
Before the war, the man-made river irrigated about 160,000 hectares, which were actively being developed for agriculture. And to the south, in the Sahara, ditches brought to the surface serve as watering places for animals. And most importantly, large cities of the country, in particular the capital Tripoli, were supplied with drinking water.
Here are the most important dates in the history of the Libyan Great Man-Made River irrigation project, recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest in the world in 2008:
October 3, 1983 - The General People's Congress of the Libyan Jamahiriya was convened and an emergency session was held, at which the start of funding for the project was announced.
The Great Manmade River (GMR) is a complex network of water conduits that supplies desert areas and the coast of Libya with water from the Nubian Aquifer. By some estimates, this is the largest engineering project in existence. This huge system of pipes and aqueducts, which also includes more than 1,300 wells more than 500 meters deep, supplies the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirte and others, supplying 6,500,000 m³ of drinking water per day. Muammar Gaddafi called this river the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” In 2008, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized the Great Man-Made River as the largest irrigation project in the world.
September 1, 2010 is the anniversary of the opening of the main section of the Great Libyan artificial river. The world media kept quiet about this Libyan project, but by the way, this project surpasses the largest construction projects. Its value is 25 billion US dollars.
Back in the 80s, Gaddafi began a large-scale project to create a network of water resources, which was supposed to cover Libya, Egypt, Sudan and Chad. To date, this project has almost been completed. The task was, it must be said, historical for the entire North African region, because the problem of water has been relevant here since the times of Phenicia. And, more importantly, not a single penny from the IMF was spent on a project that could have turned the whole of North Africa into a blooming garden. It is with the latter fact that some analysts associate the current destabilization of the situation in the region.
The desire for a global monopoly on water resources is already the most important factor in world politics. And in the south of Libya there are four giant water reservoirs (oases of Kufra, Sirt, Morzuk and Hamada). According to some data, they contain an average of 35,000 cubic meters. kilometers (!) of water. To imagine this volume, it is enough to imagine the entire territory of Germany as a huge lake 100 meters deep. Such water resources are undoubtedly of particular interest. And perhaps he has more than an interest in Libyan oil.
This water project was called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” due to its scale. It provides a daily flow of 6.5 million cubic meters of water through the desert, greatly increasing the area of irrigated land. 4 thousand kilometers of pipes buried deep into the ground due to the heat. Underground water is pumped through 270 shafts from hundreds of meters deep. A cubic meter of the purest water from Libyan reservoirs, taking into account all costs, can cost 35 cents. This is the approximate cost of a cubic meter of cold water in Moscow. If we take the cost of a European cubic meter (about 2 euros), then the value of water reserves in Libyan reservoirs is 58 billion euros.
The idea of extracting water hidden deep under the surface of the Sahara Desert appeared back in 1983. In Libya, like its Egyptian neighbor, only 4 percent of the territory is suitable for human life; the remaining 96 percent is dominated by sand. Once upon a time, on the territory of modern Jamahiriya there were riverbeds that flowed into the Mediterranean Sea. These channels dried up long ago, but scientists were able to establish that at a depth of 500 meters underground there are huge reserves - up to 12 thousand cubic km of fresh water. Its age exceeds 8.5 thousand years, and it makes up the lion's share of all sources in the country, leaving a paltry 2.3% for surface water and a little more than 1 percent for desalinated water. Simple calculations showed that the creation of a hydraulic system that would allow pumping water from Southern Europe would give Libya 0.74 cubic meters of water per Libyan dinar. Delivery of life-giving moisture by sea will bring benefits of up to 1.05 cubic meters per dinar. Desalination, which also requires powerful, expensive installations, is losing significantly, and only the development of the “Great Man-Made River” will make it possible to obtain nine cubic meters from each dinar. The project is still far from complete completion - the second phase is currently underway, which involves laying the third and fourth stages of pipelines hundreds of kilometers inland and installing hundreds of deep-water wells. A total of 1,149 such wells were planned, including more than 400 that still had to be built. Over the past years, 1,926 km of pipes have been laid, with another 1,732 km ahead. Each 7.5-meter steel pipe reaches a diameter of four meters and weighs up to 83 tons, and in total there are more than 530.5 thousand such pipes. The total cost of the project is $25 billion. As Libyan Minister of Agriculture Abdel Majid al-Matrouh told reporters, the bulk of the extracted water - 70% - goes to the needs of agriculture, 28% - to the population, and the rest goes to industry.
Gaddafi's grandiose project - a great man-made river
Gaddafi's most ambitious project is the Great Man-Made River. Libya was kept quiet about this project
Great man-made river The Great Manmade River, GMR) is a complex network of conduits that supplies desert areas and the coast of Libya with water from the Nubian Aquifer. By some estimates, this is the largest engineering project in existence. This huge system of pipes and aqueducts, which also includes more than 1,300 wells more than 500 meters deep, supplies the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirte and others, supplying 6,500,000 cubic meters of drinking water per day. named this river "The Eighth Wonder of the World". In 2008, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized the Great Man-Made River as the largest irrigation project in the world.
September 1, 2010 is the anniversary of the opening of the main section of the Great Libyan artificial river. The media kept quiet about this Libyan project, but, by the way, this project surpasses the largest construction projects. Its cost is 25 billion dollars.
Back in the 80s, Gaddafi began a large-scale project to create a network of water resources, which was supposed to cover Libya, Egypt, Sudan and Chad. To date, this project has almost been completed. The task was, it must be said, historical for the entire North African region, because the problem of water has been relevant here since the times of Phenicia. And, more importantly, no money was spent on a project that could turn the whole of North Africa into a blooming garden. not a single cent from the IMF. It is with the latter fact that some analysts associate the current destabilization of the situation in the region.
The desire for a global monopoly on water resources is already the most important factor in world politics. And in the south of Libya there are four giant water reservoirs (oases Kufra, Sirt, Morzuk And Hamada). According to some data, they contain an average of 35,000 cubic meters. kilometers (!) of water. To imagine this volume, it is enough to imagine the entire territory as a huge lake 100 meters deep. Such water resources undoubtedly represent separate interest. And maybe he more than interest in Libyan oil.
This water project was called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” due to its scale. It provides a daily flow of 6.5 million cubic meters of water through the desert, greatly increasing the area of irrigated land. 4 thousand kilometers of pipes buried deep into the ground due to the heat. Underground water is pumped through 270 shafts from hundreds of meters deep. A cubic meter of clean water from Libyan reservoirs, taking into account all costs, can cost 35 cents. This is the approximate cost of a cubic meter of cold water. If we take the cost of a European cubic meter (about 2 euros), then the value of water reserves in Libyan reservoirs is 58 billion euros.
The idea of extracting water hidden deep under the surface of the Sahara Desert appeared back in 1983. In Libya, like its Egyptian neighbor, only 4% territory, in the rest 96% The sands reign supreme. Once upon a time, on the territory of modern Jamahiriya there were riverbeds that flowed into. These riverbeds dried up long ago, but scientists were able to establish that at a depth of 500 meters underground there are huge reserves - up to 12 thousand cubic meters km of fresh water. Its age exceeds 8.5 thousand years, and it makes up the lion's share of all sources in the country, leaving an insignificant 2.3% for surface water and a little more than 1% for desalinated water.
Simple calculations showed that the creation of a hydraulic system that would allow pumping water from Southern Europe would give Libya 0.74 cubic meters. m of water for one Libyan dinar. Delivery of life-giving moisture by sea will bring benefits of up to 1.05 cubic meters. m for one dinar. Desalination, which also requires powerful, expensive installations, is losing out significantly, and only the development "The Great Man-Made River" will allow you to receive 9 cubic meters from each dinar. meters.
The project is still far from complete completion - the second phase is currently being implemented, which involves laying the third and fourth stages hundreds of kilometers inland and installing hundreds of deep-water wells. There will be a total of 1,149 such wells, including more than 400 that remain to be built. Over the past years, 1,926 km of pipes have been laid, with another 1,732 km ahead. Each 7.5 meter steel pipe reaches 4 meters in diameter and weighs up to 83 tons, and in total there are more than 530.5 thousand such pipes. The total cost of the project is $25 billion. As Libyan Minister of Agriculture Abdel Majid al-Matrouh told reporters, the bulk of the extracted water – 70% – goes to the needs of agriculture, 28% to the population, and the rest goes to industry.
“According to the latest research by experts from Southern and Northern Europe, water from underground sources enough for another 4860 years, although the average lifespan of all equipment, including pipes, is designed to be 50 years,” he said. The man-made river now irrigates about 160 thousand hectares of the country, which is being actively developed for agriculture. And hundreds of kilometers to the south, on the routes of camel caravans, water trenches brought to the surface of the earth serve as a transshipment point and resting place for people and animals.
Looking at the result of the work of human thought in Libya, it is difficult to believe that experiencing the same problems suffers from overpopulation and cannot in any way share the resources of the Nile with its southern neighbors. Meanwhile, on the territory of the Country of pyramids are also hidden underground countless reserves of life-giving moisture, which is more valuable to desert dwellers than all treasures.
With its water project, Libya could start a real green revolution. Literally, of course, which would solve a lot of food problems in Africa. And most importantly, it would ensure stability and economic independence. Moreover, there are already known cases when global corporations blocked water projects in the region. and the IMF, for example, blocked the construction of the canal on the White Nile - Jonglei Canal- in southern Sudan, it was started there and everything was abandoned after the American intelligence services provoked the growth of separatism there. It is, of course, much more profitable for the IMF and global cartels to impose their own expensive projects, such as desalination. An independent Libyan project did not fit into their plans. Compare with neighboring Egypt, where over the past 20 years all irrigation and water supply improvement projects have been sabotaged behind them.
Gaddafi called on Egyptian farmers, 55 million of whom live in the crowded region along the banks of the Nile, to come and work in the fields of Libya. 95% of Libya's land is desert. The new artificial river opens up enormous opportunities for the development of this land. Libya's own water project was a slap in the face to the World Bank and IMF and the entire West.
The World Bank and the US State Department support only their projects: Middle East Water Summit this November (2010) in Turkey, which is considering only seawater desalinization projects at a price 4 dollars cubic meter. The United States benefits from a shortage of water - it increases the price of it. Washington and London were almost apoplectic when they learned about the opening of a project in Libya. Everything needed for the project was produced in Libya itself. Nothing was purchased from the “first world” countries, which help developing countries rise from their lying position only if they can benefit themselves from it.
The United States was vigilant to ensure that no one dared to help Libya. I could no longer help, since I myself was giving up my last breath. While the West sells desalinized salt water to Libya at a price $3.75. Now Libya no longer buys water from Western countries. Scientists estimate the water reserves are equivalent to 200 years of flow of the Nile River. The Gaddafi government's goal is to make Libya a source of agricultural abundance. The project has been operating for a long time.
Have you ever heard of him?
The only article in the English-language press was the article Underground "Fossil Water" Running Out, National Geographic, May 2010 And Libya turns on the Great Man-Made River, by Marcia Merry, Printed in the Executive Intelligence Review, September 1991.
One of the biggest civic development projects of former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year reign was the Great Artificial River. Gaddafi dreamed of providing fresh water to all residents of the country and turning the desert into a thriving oasis, providing Libya with its own food products. To make this dream a reality, Gaddafi launched a major technical project consisting of a network of underground pipes. They would carry fresh water from ancient underground aquifers deep in the Sahara to the arid Libyan cities. Gaddafi called it the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Western media rarely mentions it, calling it a “vanity project,” “Gaddafi’s Pet Project,” and “a mad dog’s pipe dream.” But in fact, the Artificial River of Life is a fantastic water delivery system that has changed the lives of Libyans all across the country.
Libya is one of the sunniest and driest countries in the world. There are places where no precipitation has fallen for decades, and even in mountainous areas rain can fall once every 5 to 10 years. Less than 5% of the country receives sufficient rainfall for agriculture. Much of Libya's water supply used to come from desalination plants on the coast, which were expensive and used only locally. There was practically nothing left for irrigation of farmland. 
In 1953, during exploration for new oil fields in southern Libya, a huge number of ancient aquifers were discovered. The team of researchers discovered four huge pools with estimated volumes ranging from 4,800 to 20,000 cubic kilometers of water. Most of this water was collected between 38,000 and 14,000 years ago, before the end of the last ice age, when the Sahara region had a temperate climate. 
After Gaddafi seized power in a bloodless coup in 1969, the new government immediately nationalized oil companies and began using oil revenues to drill hundreds of wells to extract water from desert aquifers. Initially, Gaddafi planned to set up large-scale agricultural projects right in the desert, next to water sources. But people refused to move far from their homes, and then he decided to bring water directly to them. 
In August 1984, a pipe manufacturing plant was opened and the Great Artificial River of Life project in Libya began. Approximately 1,300 wells, 500 meters deep, were dug into the desert soil to pump water from the underground water reserve. This water was then distributed to 6.5 million people in the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirte and other places through a network of underground pipes totaling 2,800 km. When the fifth and final phase of the project is completed, the network will consist of 4,000 km of pipes that will cover 155,000 hectares of land. Even with the last two phases unfinished, the Great Artificial River is the largest irrigation project in the world. 
The pipeline first reached Tripoli in 1996, at the completion of the first phase of the project. Adam Kuwairi (the main figure behind the project) vividly remembers the impact that fresh water had on him and his family. "Water has changed lives. For the first time in our history there is water for showering, washing and shaving," he told the BBC. “The quality of life has increased by an order of magnitude throughout the country.” The project was recognized internationally, and in 1999 UNESCO awarded the River of Life Prize, recognizing its remarkable work in scientific research on water use in arid areas. 
In July 2011, NATO struck a pipeline near Brega, including a pipe factory. They claimed that the factory was used as a military depot and that missiles were launched from there. The pipeline strike deprived 70% of the country's population of water. Civil war has broken out in the country, and the future of the Artificial River of Life project is in jeopardy.
For some reason, the construction of the Great Man-Made River in Libya was deprived of media attention, despite the fact that this structure has been recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest irrigation project in the world since 2008. But what is important here is not the scale of the construction of the century, but the goals. After all, if the Libyan man-made river is completed, it will transform Africa from a desert into a fertile continent, the same as, for example, Eurasia or America. However, the whole problem is precisely in this very “if”...
WATER INSTEAD OF OIL
In 1953, Libyans, trying to find sources of oil in the south of their country, discovered water: giant underground reservoirs feeding oases. Only a couple of decades later, the residents of Libya realized that they had fallen into their hands with a much greater treasure than black gold. From time immemorial, Africa has been a drought-stricken continent with sparse vegetation, but here literally under our feet there is about 35 thousand cubic kilometers of artesian water.
With the appropriate volume, it is possible, for example, to completely flood the territory of Germany (357,021 square kilometers), and the depth of such a reservoir will be about 100 meters. If this water is released to the surface, it will turn Africa into a blooming garden!
This is precisely the idea that came to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Of course, because the territory of Libya is more than 95% desert. Under Gaddafi's patronage, a complex network of pipelines was developed that would deliver water from the Nubian Aquifer to the arid regions of the country. To implement this grandiose plan, specialists in modern technologies arrived in Libya from South Korea. A plant for the production of reinforced concrete pipes with a diameter of four meters was launched in the city of Al-Buraika. On August 28, 1984, Muammar Gaddafi was personally present at the start of construction of the pipeline.
THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD
The Great Man-Made River is not without reason called the largest irrigation project in the world. Some even consider it the largest engineering structure on the planet. Gaddafi himself called his creation the eighth wonder of the world. Now this network includes 1,300 wells 500 meters deep, four thousand kilometers of concrete pipes laid underground, a system of pumping stations, storage tanks, control and management centers.
Every day, six and a half million cubic meters of water flow through the pipes and aqueducts of the man-made river, supplying the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirte, Gharyan and others, as well as the green fields in the middle of the former desert. In the future, the Libyans intended to irrigate 130-150 thousand hectares of cultivated land and, in addition to Libya, include other African countries in this system. Ultimately, Africa would not only cease to be a perpetually starving continent, but would even begin to export barley, oats, wheat and corn itself. The project was planned to be completed in 25 years, but...
EXILEMENT FROM PARADISE
4,000 kilometers of underground pipes stretch across the desert
In early 2011, civil war engulfed Libya, and on October 20, Muammar Gaddafi died at the hands of rebels. But there is an opinion that the real reason for the murder of the Libyan leader was his Great Man-Made River.
Firstly, a number of major powers were engaged in supplying food to African countries. Of course, it is completely unprofitable for them to transform Africa from a consumer into a producer. Secondly, due to the growing population on the planet, fresh water is becoming an increasingly valuable resource every year. Many European countries are already experiencing a shortage of drinking water. And here Libya has a source in its hands, which, according to experts, will be enough for the next four to five millennia.
Once, at the ceremonial completion of one of the stages of construction of the Great Man-Made River, Muammar Gaddafi said: “Now, after this achievement, US threats against Libya will double. The Americans will do everything to destroy our work and leave the people of Libya oppressed." By the way, the heads of many African states were present at this celebration, and the leaders of the Black Continent supported Gaddafi’s initiative. Among them was Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Mubarak was also removed from his post as a result of the revolution that suddenly broke out in Egypt.
Strange coincidence, isn't it? It is noteworthy that when NATO forces intervened in the Libyan conflict, in order to “protect civilians” their aircraft struck precisely on the branches of the Great River, pumping stations and destroyed a plant producing concrete pipes. So, I think, with a high probability we can assume that the struggle for oil is being replaced by another war for water. And Gaddafi became the first victim of this war.