A thread on the Great Man-Made River Project and why it was not the solution for Libya's water supply:
The objective of the project was to deliver water from deep aquifers in the south to the northern populated coastal cities. As coastal aquifers were excessively exploited which resulted in seawater intrusion and there was a need for an alternative solution.
The GMMR has so much to say, not only about the economy, but also about crony capitalism and nationalist policy-making scheme. This project reflected an ideology of Gaddafi which is his opposition to colonialism and imperialism.
In the beginning, the project may have presented the solution that would save Libyans from water shortage and would provide them with the water. Regardless of the objective of this project, so much can be analysed to show the limits of this project.
the project was fully funded by the Libyan government and there has been a 1% percent tax deducted from public wages that were directed to financing the project in addition to a limitless funding from oil revenues in order to complete it. GMMR does not cover the entire country
The budget estimated for the project to be between 20 to 30 billion US dollars, however, the reality of the project can bring up so many questions and it was exposed after the revolution in 2011. No environmental assessment was done & only two phases out of the four work
The project served Gaddafi’s ideology and those close to the system. It never really served the slogan that says ‘’No country is free that feeds from behind its borders’’ and ironically, Libya relies heavily on imported goods and food more than any other time
Under Gaddafi, the water issue was managed through a top-down fashion; no consideration for local understanding and management. Development was not achieved rather, more randomness and unequal distribution of wealth and easy access to funding from people close to the regime
The GMMRP changed many perspectives and it became apparent that the reality of this project differs greatly from the targeted objective once made by Gaddafi. It is clear that the scope of the GMMRP is political and has been so since the implementation of the project.
Gaddafi portrayed the nationalist image that opposes any foreign presence. However, we can clearly see that the project relied on international companies in terms of the construction of this project
The gap between Libyans and the government or any involvement in the country has been strictly limited
so the regime can benefit the most and cannot let any disturbance or any form of disobedience by
Libyans.
The GMMRP may have solved a problem for the Libyan population living in coastal cities but it turns out that the diversification of solutions is essential now, such as re-activation of desalination, or the population will continue to suffer.
You can follow @MalakLibya1.
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