Abstract: | Water shortages have led the Libyan authorities to investigate and develop fossil water resources in the remote South of the country. Initially the development was in situ, but in 1979 it was decided to embark on an ambitious water carrier to bring water from the South to the settled areas of the northern coast. This paper describes the development of the Great Man-Made River scheme (GMMR), the stages of the project, the GMMR and the national economy, and Libya's water management options by the year 2000. It concludes that 1) the project will ensure that the urban and industrial needs of Libya are met at least until the mid-21st century; 2) the new water will mainly replace coastal resources currently being overused; 3) the new water will not enable food security nor provide a cost-effective means of raising major food staples in the foreseeable future. Bibliogr. |