The Great Man-Made River Project after Muammar Gaddafi’s Overthrow

Abstract

This article focuses on the analysis of the implementation and maintenance of the Great Man-Made River project (GMMR) after Muammar Gaddafi’s Overthrow in 2011. Libya is one of the poorest countries in terms of freshwater per capita. Due to the need to cover the growing domestic and drinking demands, it was necessary to provide water supply to both cities on the narrow coastline of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, and small villages of Fezzan. The discovery of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System made it possible to start building an underground pipelines network using the resources of deep-lying water deposits. The chronological scope of the paper covers more than a decade or the period from 2011 to the present. The main research issue focuses on the study of the maintaining the Great Man-Made River in the modern times. The paper also emphasizes the damage caused by hostilities. In the context of the research issue, the authors analyze a number of historical facts and data regarding the development of the water policy as well as key Hydraulic Engineering projects in Libya.