Libya amendment to change the water shortage problem of artificial river (Photos)
International (Reuters Fang Wenjun) Libya in North Africa, southern edge of the Mediterranean Sea, the northern Sahara, it is a desert country. Although the country has more than 1900 kilometers of coastline, but the desert area accounts for more than 95% of total land area. Neither within the perennial rivers and no lakes, rainfall, only 5% of the land more than 100 mm annual precipitation, the rest of it does not rain almost year round. Residents of a serious shortage of drinking and process water. But according to the survey, the southern Libyan desert to be rich in underground freshwater resources, its storage capacity equal to the total flow of the Nile 200 years. August 1984, Libya began in the desert hinterland of the construction of an underground artificial river water to the north. The whole project is 30 billion U.S. dollars of total investment, 30-year period, known as the "Great Artificial River" and the "world's eighth wonder." Currently, more than half of the project has been completed, not only meet the Libyan city of municipal water, but also hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland to be irrigated, a number of large farms were established. From the Libyan people for the water available and no longer worry about.
Libya's recent meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture was invited to visit the national media delegation, said that despite the "great artificial river project" a huge cost, but its access to water through other means than the cost or relatively low. As it is estimated that if through a pipe carrying water from the recent Southern Europe, every Libyan dinar (1 U.S. dollar equals 1.3 Libyan dinars) to get 0.74 cubic meters of water; way through the shipping of water per Libyan dinar was 1.05 cubic meters; desalination water per dinar will be 0.79 cubic meters; and through the "Great Man River Project" is ground water can water 9 cubic meters per dinar. Meanwhile, the project also met the Libyan city of municipal water demand, etc., to promote the rapid development of industry and agriculture play an invaluable role. According to reports, the Chinese Communists in the desert of Libya at present about 1,300 wells per day in the extraction of groundwater from these wells is about 6.43 million cubic meters, more than 5000 km through the full diameter of 4 meters of underground concrete pipes and pumping stations along the multi-level, transmission dozens of reservoirs to the north, to meet the northern coastal industrial, urban municipal water and 40 million hectares of farmland irrigation.
specific allocation of water resources, agricultural projects is a major component, about 70%. Another 28% for urban municipalities, only 2% for the industry. As for why to spend so much on agriculture precious water resources, the persons concerned, the Libyan people depend on agriculture and yes the foundation and bedrock, to develop agriculture, not only to provide a rich food for people, vegetables and fruit products, and You can also play a green environment, improve the climate. In addition, through groundwater irrigation, but also greatly increased the variety of local plants and crops. It is understood in most parts of Libya before the drought of date palm trees are growing, and now grapes, olives, peaches, apples, cherries, pears and other fruit orchards everywhere. In Libya, you feel as if not to the Sahara desert, but came to the oasis, to the sanctuary.
