A 70 mile artificial river costing £4 billion is under construction in Egypt, considered the country’s largest ever agricultural project. Egypt’s New Delta Project will deliver water needed to cultivate around 3,550 square miles (9,200 sq km) of land in the Western Desert, in the hope of increasing food security for a growing population.
The river will stretch 57 miles (92 kilometres) overground, while around 13.6 miles (22 kilometres) of underground pipes will transport groundwater, agricultural drainage and surface water across the land after being treated at Al-Hamam Water Station. The giant project, west of the Nile Delta, will provide job opportunities for more than 5 million citizens, according to a study by the Egyptian Center for Thought and Studies.
