🇪🇬 Egypt.
Egypt has announced plans to build an artificial river, spanning 114,000 kilometres in length, and will be the longest of its kind in the world, surpassing the Nile. The Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is constructing the world’s biggest man-made river to ensure the accessibility of sustainable water resources, the project is called the New Delta project.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recently hailed the New Delta project as the largest initiative ever undertaken in the country. With an aim to expand the agricultural region beyond its current meager 6% on the land primarily occupied by Egyptians, the project intends to harness the Western Desert’s untapped potential.
Egypt has been dealing with a double crisis of an ongoing water deficit plus food scarcity. To stem the problem, the government has been reportedly rationing water in the country, as well as treating sea and lake water, and investing in modern irrigation systems. The project’s primary objective is to deliver superior-quality agricultural products at affordable prices to citizens and export the surplus to foreign markets, thereby reducing the need for imports and fostering sustainable development. The initiative will create more than 10,360 direct job opportunities and an anticipated number of indirect jobs.