How Libya Built Brand-New Rivers Across the Sahara

Watch more than 20 additional RealLifeLore videos in my Modern Conflicts series on Nebula: nebula.tv/modernconflicts
Please Subscribe: / @reallifelore
RealLifeLore on Spotify: spoti.fi/47yMfzp
RealLifeLore on Facebook: / reallifelore
Select video clips courtesy of Getty Images
Select video clips courtesy of the AP Archive
Special thanks to MapTiler / OpenStreetMap Contributors and GEOlayers 3
www.maptiler.com/copyright/
www.openstreetmap.org/copyright
aescripts.com/geolayers/

[@supersmellslikefeet]

The funny thing is that Nato worsened the state of violence in libya in 2011 and now they're like "yup don't go there, it's not safe"

[@LoremIpsum1970]

Yep, nothing to do with anyone else, it was all Nato...lol

[@PoboyMusic]

@@LoremIpsum1970 It was NATO that bombed Libya

[@supersmellslikefeet]

@@LoremIpsum1970 Corrected myself is it better now?

[@genichiro4246]

@@supersmellslikefeet destabilization of the Middle East was a planned military campaign.

[@schneejacques3502]

Only France wanted gadaffi out. Gadaffi would suddenly take a drastic shift towards the West towards the end of his rule where he became cooperative with the Brits and Americans, and in return the US and UK encouraged oil company investment in Libya. MI6 even abducted two Libyan dissidents living abroad i believe in the 2000s and extradited them back to Libya with a note saying "thank you." The french threatend US they would get out of NATO if they didn't support them. Also Italy and Turkey was gainst intervening.

[@fa5323]

Thank you so much for making this video! As a Libyan it's rare to see anything online that is positive about my country.

[@ellanola6284]

FA, I hope that better time of peace & prosperity comes for your country very soon. I really enjoyed watching this programme & I am happy that you have all these resources.

[@fa5323]

@@ellanola6284 Thank you Ella for your kind words

[@davidtherwhanger6795]

I don't know if this is the 8th wonder of the world or not. That term gets thrown around a lot. And the other 7 were arbitrarily choose by some dead guy a long time ago. What I know is this is definitely a wonder of the world. A magnificent, awe inspiring, and massive engineering project just like the wonders of old where in their times. And which of them can boast of getting huge quantities of fresh drinking water from one of the driest deserts in the world.

[@Aadilyaseen]

U people r yourself responsible for your condition

[@gvasilyev84]

US and EU are directly responsible for destroying Lybia for that sweet sweet free oil

[@somaalzoy5003]

I am Libyan, and I am proud of my country, Libya, despite all circumstances, and I never care about the bad opinions of others towards it. It is in my heart forever. I live in Benghazi, the city in which I was born, and it is also my entire life.❤

[@SonGohanHeiji]

May Allah bless all of you, and you guys can build libya to its glory, despite the setback n interventions from the evil west.

[@somaalzoy5003]

@@SonGohanHeiji Thanks for this kind gesture❤

[@cryptounchained3586]

this is just out of curiosity on my part, i do not meant to offend or something, but how was Muammar Gaddafi as leader? was he really a bad man as the mainstream media portrayed him to be? it just makes me wonder, because every time the WEST tries to "FREE" countries from the authoritarian govt they had, the aftermath was always worse than what they used to be...

[@AJ-pc9gu]

Nice to see other people from Benghazi, I live abroad now but I think about Libya everyday ❤

[@nincumpoop9747]

As a proud American, I truly apologize for Hillary Clinton and the CIA. If it was in my hands they would all be tried and prosecuted. Not only for Libya tbh.

[@andykaufman7620]

The Libyas actual name for these river pipeline projects was The Great Laying of Pipe. Qaddafi stated "I am going to Lay so much Pipe in this desert it will be the wettest desert in the world. The desert is a woman and she will take my PIpe whereever I lay it, whenever I lay it and beg for more'. That's a real Qaddafi quote.

[@haekz127]

Based

[@nehukybis]

The Libyans actually did this once before... over two thousand years ago. Granted, it was on a somewhat smaller scale, but the Libyan Garamantes mined and moved fossil water with tunnels called foggara.

[@bustavonnutz]

That's my one nitpick with this video. They knew about the water for centuries, but actually accessing & transporting it was basically unfeasible until an organized effort based on sheer necessity (due to high birthrates) built the pipelines to make all this possible.

[@alikhanmoazzam]

Thats presents from pakistan iran too

[@KingLarbear]

Wow, the ancients were smart

[@Valery0p5]

Where did anyone think the water that makes oasis came from? When people stop making questions and think they know it all and that's all there is, they're as good as dead.

[@lif3andthings763]

Garamantes remain closely matches with neolithic sahelians from chad mali and niger.

[@jlkoppelle]

I lived near Benghazi from '85 to '90. Back then it was an awesome place to grow up (in a compound with other Europeans, I must admit). I still remember going to Benghazi with my parents to go shopping. We had fieldtrips to Tripoli and the great Roman settlements along the coast. I would love to go back, but don't see that happening anytime soon unfortunately.

[@blacknailediowa191]

sounds like a great experience

[@MossadDid911]

Whites destroyed yet another country, Libya. Like locusts. Ruining everywhere they go. Devils

[@DancerMusicanActress]

There are so many places I would love to visit for all the history there but it's just not realistic at the moment unfortunately

[@Silver_Prussian]

My granpa went to and worked in lybia for a while that was in the cold war and he bought a lot of good stuff from the place. Fun story, he went to buy some golden jewels but he forgot his wallet and the shop owner said ,,no problem mister george i trust you, you will pay me the next day" now thats a country of order and hospitality shame somebody (America) decided to ruin it. They also hurt all of africa indirectly, ghdafi had a plan to make a universal african currency and remove the use of the petrol-dollar in africa which would make the continent much more independent, one of the reasons they took him down to be honest but also the oil.

[@truthcantbehidden2165]

@@Silver_Prussian Wow

[@graemejohnson4388]

I was in Libya when the “ underground sea” was built. The 8 foot diameter concrete pipeline runs from Benghazi to Tunisia. It was an amazing engineering fear, designed by a couple of engineers from USA and built by South Korean companies and Libyan people. All along the coast there is abundance of cement rock so at various intervals a concrete plant was established to make the pipes. I believe the system is being let go at the moment.

[@Occupied_Libya]

Where are you from

[@ellens2918]

M

[@rastislavstanik]

so without the west the would't be able to build shit

[@Dutch_Uncle]

My understanding is that the water is "fossil water" from ancient times, when there were glaciers and jungles in what is now Libya. The water does not come from an aquifer that is replenished, but from a deposit that was made millennia ago. When it is sucked dry it will be back to desert. In that situation the normal practice is to regulate for the best conservation, not use it for extravagant displays. Like coal or gold, once the mineral is gone, that is all there is to the story.

[@maregondrako]

@@Dutch_Uncle All of your comment is explained in the video

[@18nomah]

My uncle worked on this project for Daewoo from 1984 to 1993. He said the biggest challenge was US sanction to foreign investments.

[@CoolestMIley]

May Libya become more safe and peaceful. I hope that soon it becomes amazing and one of the best countries in the world to live in.

[@Cortesevasive]

no it wont, because they killed gadaffi who built the infrastructure

[@dumbvideosinc.9689]

It will never, its in Africa

[@abrarlabib2325]

It was best in Africa. But US intensionally destroyed it.

[@shezyam460]

@@abrarlabib2325 the gold dinar was unacceptable for US elites

[@Human_Kindnessz]

@@abrarlabib2325 Lybia bombed a place in Germany

[@NotEebra]

As a Libyan, I am so so so shocked RealLifeLore actually has made a video about us!

[@NotEebra]

Also to answer his questions at the end, the problem are foreign countries and more specifically Egypt/UAE that hate the idea of a powerful Libya. They're scared of losing regional power to us.

[@LittleHomieLightningtech]

same

[@LittleHomieLightningtech]

@@NotEebra yup they just want to control us

[@The-ZebraFinch-Channel]

@@NotEebra lmao what?

[@NotEebra]

@@The-ZebraFinch-Channel yeah lmao

[@robertsocoteala2826]

These types of video are so much more enjoyable than what they were a year ago, you can really tell the channel has grown and that more work/dedication/money goes into these videos, all due to us watching and the nebula/curiosity stream stuff. Thank you for having such a good KZbin channel

[@the-libyan4rial]

I'M A LIBYAN AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO AND SAY THAT LIBYA IS GOOD NOW AND EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE . GLORY TO LIBYA 🇱🇾

[@Calikid331]

The fact that the Sahara desert was green just 6,000 years ago leads me to believe that there could be ancient civilizations buried underneath all that sand, or structures that have been heavily eroded. And considering that our modern civilization started not too long after the Sahara became a desert could suggest that the people of the ancient fertile crescent civilizations could be descendants of the people who left North Africa as the climate was changing. With such a large area with so much water I believe the green Sahara would have been the perfect place for vast civilizations to exist, it's also telling that we've discovered large man-made structures and settlements that are over 10,000 years old around modern-day Turkey.

[@Tingus__Pingus]

There are probably signs of human activity, but not actual civilization. Civilization started in river valleys which were not present even then, and 6000 years ago it wasn’t all green, that’s when it ended being green and because a desert. It was probably mostly inhabited 8000-10000 years ago, when civilization wasn’t really present outside of small communities

[@TheKlaun9]

There is so much left undiscovered, so many ancient cities barely touched by archeology. I fear digging in an inhospitable desert is not a priority, we won't find out if you're correct in our lifetime. However, just in case you're one of those gobekli tepe dudes, I highly recommend the interview on stefan Milo's channel with one of the archeologists working on that site for some context

[@KFordmusic]

@@Tingus__Pingus that’s what he’s saying. How do we know that? What were people doing 10,000 years ago? We have no idea what’s under the Sahara and every civilization starts near water. If there was water, there were people and humanity today is missing most of our history. It cycles every 10,000 years right? Say there was no civilization from 20,00-10,000 years ago. What about 40,000-30,000 years ago during the green period before that? We would never know. It’s sad really. Also very arrogant of scientist today to think they know when civilization started.

[@CrabTastingMan]

@@Tingus__Pingus Well the Gobekli Tepe was 12,000+ years old, it kind of surprised us because it appears some people have had construction projects BEFORE agriculture was discovered. The prevailing notion before was that civilizations were started from settled towns relying on agriculture, so nobody will build anything. Stonehenge was 5,000 years ago, so people made their notions based on the possible religious significance of it, religion they figured must have been made AFTER ppl gathered in farming towns.

[@bloodshotterror624]

There are ancient maps that put many towns across the desert as it was originally part of the west Nile that died 4000 years ago... that land is "uninhabitable" and has been for eons.. ps there is a documentary about some of the fortresses that poke out of the dunes in these areas.

[@ehabsmati1105]

As a libyan I'm honored to have my country featured in your awesome channel thank you and to all the kind people who commented good things about us

[@nikola_tomic]

Hi friend, regards from Serbia. Out of curiosity how do u compare the time under Gaddafi, and now? Also as I wish u and your family all the best 😊😊😊

[@ahmedmresa]

@@nikola_tomic When it comes to safety, economic stability & ease of traveling under Gaddafi it was incomparably better. When it comes to freedom of expression and I would dare say opportunities now is relatively better. Overall the west did us very very bad by orchestrating the coup in 2011.

[@nikola_tomic]

@@ahmedmresa I figured so, and as to someone coming from Serbia that sounds too familiar unfortunately... Thanks for replying and once again all the best:)

[@abdoeljafre3000]

@@nikola_tomic As a Libyan citizen, I tell you that Gaddafi is much better than now, and Gaddafi was an angel in front of those who exist today. Peace be upon the soul of Gaddafi ❤️

[@alex-E7WHU]

Hopefully Libya returns to be the great country that it once was.👍

[@mjahmod12]

Thanks for the video man .. love to see people know more about my country and give a different view about it .. keep it up ❤️

[@andyrewchase]

I have been on your channel for years watching so many of your amazing videos. I thought this would be good but it is one of the most informative videos you have produced. Thank you! My family learned so much with this one.

[@junglelane]

My father went to high school in Tripoli in the 1960s and was the first ever Eagle scout in the country. Hope only the best for Libyan people. Always heard great stories about that ancient land and people.

[@jimclarence5441]

So many in the West do not realize that many in the so called Muslim world in Arica and the Middle East are educated and generally well meaning people. But so many of these people in these countries have been under horrid governments for generations. It's a real tragedy that this countries haven't have the good fortune of constructive government which would rise the standard of living for so many. Plus civil wars and wars in general are so wasteful.

[@ahmedmresa]

@@jimclarence5441 I couldn't agree more Jim. Greetings from Tripoli 👋 I hope you have a wonderful day 😊.

[@junglelane]

@@jimclarence5441 I heard of some educated Libyan people from my family but the vast majority was of lovely intelligent people.

[@allee3476]

@@jimclarence5441 Good point. May I add that many in the west also need to know that, when the well meaning people in some Middle Eastern and the Islamic countries have democratically elected their government, the west have had the history of subverting these governments.

[@GhulamAbbas-wj3ox]

Invest in your land and be prosperous again .like China.

[@Josh_Morales]

I like how Libya is building more rivers but it’s still very hard to get in that country unless you work in the oil industry.

[@badluck5647]

Dutch disease

[@hmmm3210]

@@badluck5647 Mostly the "interventionism" .

[@badluck5647]

@@hmmm3210 Jobs outside of the oil business or the government were hard to find back when your beloved, child-murdering dictatorship was in power

[@NotEebra]

@@badluck5647 Surprisingly not the case, being here for 3 years I believe it has a huge capitalistic hunger and everyone (even the 3 million on a gov payroll doing nothing) has a private sector job or else they're living (from doing nothing) pay check to pay check struggling

[@badluck5647]

@@NotEebra People working secondary jobs to feed themselves is not a sign of a thriving public sector. High fossil fuel prices drive the currency up which hurts exports, and the best educated will follow the easy money into jobs in the oil business instead of better growth drivers like entrepreneurship. The crazy dictator also scared off most investors from most industries in the country too.

[@pancaagung3653]

bruh libya was on course to become self sustaining from all aspect if not for the arab spring, it's deppressing to see the current situation there. hope they will recover soon

[@LazyLuzifer]

Yeah Murica had other plans especially with all that oil Libyans have..

[@igameidoresearchtoo6511]

With the USA still as a country I don't think that could happen soon.. It needs time for the effects of war criminals of the USA to lessen, and also needs for a new leader similar to gaddafi to gain power and decide to advance the country. Had the USA not intervened in anything the world would atleast be 100 times better than it is now, they just ruin everything for their own sake..

[@vanillathehexican4142]

@@igameidoresearchtoo6511 I can't disagree although Trump was finally the real kind of leader true American Patriots wanted as a leader to our beautiful country...so many Americans want good things for all countries but we have such stupid fellow citizens here it is totally embarrassing to have to share the country with them...there is a movement to see Texas become an independent country once again and I am in full support of such an effort...here is to peace and prosperity for all nations!!

[@rastislavstanik]

@@vanillathehexican4142 hahaha maga moron :DDD

[@Lloh_Rnd]

Apparently they desperately needed some "democracy", we see the results...

[@DKtrek21]

The people of Libya loved the "dictator" unlike what Western media portrayed him to be. He genuinely loves his people but of course, the discovery of oil destroyed the peace they once had.

[@azargelin]

I actually went with my uncle to transport the huge concrete pipes, the project was a huge boom for the economy. The pipes do have a 50 year life span so it well be interesting to see how to overcome that heardle. Hopefully we figure something out

[@xsu-is7vq]

so the earliest part of the project is half way into it's life span? Hope Libya gets everything sorted out soon so they could at least plan for repairs and replacements.

[@jayw900]

@@xsu-is7vq No, the project was started in the early 80s so it's closing in on forty years. A fair amount more than halfway.

[@xsu-is7vq]

@@jayw900 first phase was completed in the 90’s.

[@harshavandu]

I hope the components last well over their 50 year life. The 1 thing Libya needs now, more than ever, is time. God bless ❤

[@polasamierwahsh421]

O NO

[@RobKlarmann]

Wishing Libya and its people a safe and prosperous future. And hoping this project will resume. Such an incredible video. Thanks for this!!!

[@GhulamAbbas-wj3ox]

Only you Libyans can help yourself and be great nation as before. Never ask outsiders ask for help.

[@joshgamingvlogs5203]

No that’s dumb. You’re just sucking up and frivolously using up a resource that won’t be replenished for thousands of years. Pack up the entire country and move out of the desert. Trying to make a desert hospitable is stupid

[@bigdaddy7729]

Yea they tried that , and west destroyed it

[@wyqtor]

RIP Muammar Ghaddhaffi, the leader under which those projects were built and who was violently deposed as a result of foreign intervention by the US and France, leaving the country in shambles and a continuous state of civil war.

[@gramma677]

Wait how was France involved? I thought it was Obama/CIA project.

[@farhananwar6430]

I am living here and i am not a Libyan national. Trust me its safe and getting better everyday. Life is easy as compared to many parts of the world. This water project its self is a marvel.

[@quillo2747]

How are the slave markets?

[@muhanadbelhasan1011]

Glad to see my country being represented here

[@barsukascool]

Ok Muhamet

[@muhanadbelhasan1011]

@@barsukascool *Muhanad

[@bababababababa6124]

@@barsukascool *Muhanad

[@CoolestMIley]

Nice to see someone from Libya! I hope your country becomes more safe and peaceful.

[@YouTubeWorldwideinternet]

It’s a sad memory, for a very sad country.

[@aasemahsan]

0:40 Lack of water in Lybia 3:13 Oil reserves & population boom 5:39 Aquifers 9:03 *The Great man-made river project* under Muammar Gaddafi's administration 14:13 Arab Spring & abrupt stop to the project

[@derkeksebacker7096]

Nice thanks

[@tabletlenovo6443]

Thanks your comment was usefull 9 month later to me

[@ismailbuang1213]

Thank you Gadaffi, may Allah bless your soul.

[@alimbonzaj7021]

He wasn’t a Muslim. Don’t make dua for him.

[@igorlopes7589]

​@@alimbonzaj7021 How?

[@balticdubai950]

You are right, he was an excellent leader, just the man for this country. And with the help of america, the british and the french the murdered him. Poor stupid people. What a shame.

[@fallegapyro]

Amin

[@teresakey972]

He was a Man which care for his country to be independent open your mind and bless him

[@rockstrong4342]

lol @8:33 - At the current rate water is being taken the aquifer will be exhausted in about 14,000 years (35,000 cubic km divided by 2.4 cubic km/year). Even if they take water at 10x the current rate the "problem" of no rainfall recharging the aquifer can easily be ignored.

[@markfryer9880]

As an Australian, I found this video to be very interesting as many of the towns that you mentioned are well known to anyone who has studied the Western Desert Campaign of WWII, which involved many Australian Diggers including the famous Rats of Tobruk who held out against the siege by Rommel's Africa Corps. These men were relieved after a prolonged siege and then rushed home to help defend Australia from the Japanese Southward Expansion into Asia, but that's another story. I had no idea Gaddafi was responsible for this massive civil engineering project and given that a large proportion of Central and Western Australia is Desert it is of particular interest. The question is whether we have such a large amount of fossil water hidden away under our deserts. We do have the Great Artesian Basin further over to the East but that has suffered from over exploitation and unregulated wells. Some of the water is particularly high in disolved minerals and or exceedingly hot when it reaches the surface. Still once it cools thirsty cattle will drink plenty of it. I hope that the Libyan people can resolve their disputes and live in peace with each other and their neighbours. Mark from Melbourne Australia

[@zombieat]

speaking of Rommel. do you know that there is a Rommel Museum in Mersa Matruh? An island, a beach and a bridge near the museum are also named for Rommel. There is also a Rommel Café and a Rommel Hotel.

[@A.Severan]

While watching this video, I kept thinking about how any of our feats might be applicable for Australia. I’m thankful for your countrymen’s service, along side the Libyans of the Senussi order, in liberating our country from Nazi rule.

[@fintonmainz7845]

That's all the world needs. More cattle in Australia. Thankfully the Libyans are wiser in their use of scarce resources.

[@trevorslater2746]

There's a big artesian basin up in the Northwest that goes way out towards Indonesia or Papua, heard they've even thought about piping water to Perth area from like Ord river

[@unrealistik2570]

Absolutely love you videos man. I’ve never learned more or even been interested in geopolitics then right now watching your videos. Please don’t stop what your doing ❤

[@tmagrit]

He does a good job in the infrastructural analysis, but in geopolitics brings a pretty inconsistent and dangerous point of view. Is hard to see that the geopolitical educational level of an average American or EU citizen is a shame! The Arab spring is a good thing only in the western news 🤥 Nato is was a killing machine to various Eastern cultures, like Lybia, Palestine and Syria. The most recent example is the proxy war in Ukraine.

[@erikm8372]

And when you said “NATO is was a killing machine,” did you mean that it currently *is* or it *was*, formerly, a killing machine? 🤔 I’m confused, lol, not trying to be picky. But from there, you could say “NATO; it was a killing machine…” So, NATO with a semicolon followed by “it was,” as a completed thought. 🤷🏼

[@erikm8372]

I’m confused, because you said, _“is hard to see that the geopolitical education of an average American or EU citizen is a shame!”_ Well, first of all, no sentence should really start with _“is hard to see,”_ - that’s not correct. What exactly is “hard to see”? You’d have to say _“IT is hard to see…”_ Did you mean, “it’s hard _NOT_ to see that Americans aren’t educated regarding geopolitics?” That would make more sense, I think. Lol. Another idea; you could say “sham” instead of “shame”, which means “something that is not what it seems,” as in fake or non-existent. Such as how you believe our western geopolitical “education” (surely you mean awareness) is a sham and a failure, apparently, even though it’s not really covered in the educational system… it’s kind of something we have to be aware of ourselves. You could say “it’s hard _NOT_ to see American geopolitical education for the _SHAM_ that it is.” I don’t know, it just makes more sense, to me. More than anything, regardless of what this channel does or does not achieve, anyone watching it regularly (or similar channels) is educating themselves FAR more than the average citizen. Just saying… I mean, shit, most people, when I tell them “I play the violin,” they say “wow, cool, I never heard of that.” Like…so ignorant, that it’s painful. So we can nitpick what this channel does or doesn’t do right, but it’s ultimately a few steps up from the everyday citizen. ✌🏽😬😬

[@noureldinelhonie4251]

As a very long time fan of yours, I am very happy to see someone talks positive about my country. Thank you

[@joebannon9443]

I worked on the project gas turbine compressor station providing high pressure gas to a power station, this provided power for water export pump. For my nine months on the project I saw few if any Libyan nationals on the project. Engineering was Man GHH Germany, construction was a mix of Pakistani, India & Philippine nationals, but can’t recall any direct Libyan involvement.

[@KingLarbear]

Last night I was thinking about how I'm in Louisiana and how people here might not have ever seen snow. I thought about this because my friend was from California and when he was 21 he said he never saw snow until he came to Virginia, where I'm from. And now this has me thinking about people who might not have ever seen it rain or maybe even grass because it is desert. This is crazy

[@TBJ1118]

Well, it is, but for me it's crazy that you've never seen free universal healthcare...

[@BaconInTheNether]

It snows in Lake Tahoe and up north by Shasta

[@jubeidamasta]

My family lives in northern Louisiana and it's snowed there.

[@mochalo4912]

22 here and never saw snow irl before xD

[@__0AA0__]

it actually snows in the north east of Libya sometimes .

[@PrivateGD]

Hey RealLifeLore i just wanted to tell you i appreciate so much how you teach us a lot of stuff for free

[@barsukascool]

Or not on nebula and stuff lol

[@bababababababa6124]

I hate these bot comments

[@ReconPro]

Have a great day!

[@fd504]

He’s not gonna shag u buddy

[@Nick-qe4dv]

When you smell that zaza

[@shakenbake1869]

Great video, above all, i enjoyed seeing all the Civ6 icons for oil, water and farms hah

[@fernlow4235]

Thank you very much for this wonderful video and part history of Libya. Fossil water, first time hearing this description. Really appreciate this programme . I couldn't help comparing Libya with Tanzania, where there are countless lakes and river. It shows how important water is.

[@cinnamonstar808]

Libya and 🇹🇿 Tanzania are light years apart.😆 THERE IS NO COMPARISON When humans think of LAND... its Tanzania they picture in their mind. develop cost for TZ government is alot less than their neighbors for this reason.

[@abdulazizdawaki2929]

Im a network engineer at the GMMRP and its totally a fascinating project and I’m proud to be one of the engineers who work in this mega project

[@modienekane7227]

Is it still on track? Wasn't it bombed in 2011? Anyway it's an awesome project and I wish Lybia the very best ❤.

[@NotEebra]

@@modienekane7227 The GMMR folks have been maintaining the already finished lines as best they can but no actual new developments have been done since 2011. Tough as it is when you have powerful tribes near these pipes that either shut off or blow up a section to get back a family member that was rightfully arrested

[@maizen1403]

It's cool to know it. I hope Your guys handwork would blow as a fruitous result

[@abdulazizdawaki2929]

@@modienekane7227 some fields were destroyed in the previous wars, other fields were sabotaged by some people, some fields need some repair parts but it’s expensive to do that with the economic crisis nowadays, but in overall and despite all of this the project still manages to provide water for more than 6 million Libyan citizens, its not working at the same level as the years before 2011 civil war tho

[@abdulazizdawaki2929]

@@maizen1403 much appreciated

[@michaelwalsh6276]

A river in a dry land The last ace in a lost hand When the hope of new beginnings burns our feet Now we feel it. A heartbeat for a tin man Oasis in a singed land Reminds us what we're here for Creating new life. Creating rivers in the desert! (Rivers in the desert by Lyn from Persona 5)

[@sultanskinny]

2:51 so thats actually not true. A lot of people don't know this but the Italian occupation of Libya was exceptionally brutal with the empire having effectively committed genocide against much of the population. The first ever use of planes in warfare was used by the Italians to bomb Libyans. There were concentration camps in the country that mostly targeted the educated, middle class populations in the coastal cities. So while yes Libya's geography does prevent the growth of a large urban population, there were going to be a lot more people by the time of its independence if it were not for the Italians.

[@BrazilianImperialist]

Not true, Italy never committed genocide

[@mannyh6277]

100%. The channel is run by an American guy who probably thinks that US is the greatest country on Earth, and white people are superior!

[@rippingale100]

they tried@@BrazilianImperialistalsoin eirtera

[@zumurudlilit]

@@BrazilianImperialistsure, esspecialy in ethiopia

[@VikramCSX]

You narrate these videos really well nice job

[@abdulmajidquazi5498]

I was in Libya when the project awarded. The company I work with, Technimont Spa, bid too during 1990

[@edgarsnake2857]

I never heard of this before. Thanks for another great and illuminating video.

[@HowlingWo1f]

Absolutely fascinating.

[@demorbe-official]

Man this is really amazing how these guys are innovative.

[@gvasilyev84]

This is not much of an innovation tbh. It's just using oil tech to extract fossil water. What is awe inspiring is the sheer scale of this engineering project. No government apart from Gaddafi can ever hope to accomplish something on that magnitude. The fractured Lybian tribes will never pool up enough resources and will to make it happen

[@Racko.]

they're just extracting water though

[@nicktasteless360]

@@gvasilyev84 building pipes that stretched over vast distances and over areas that are very hot is a not an easy task. surely there will be innovation to mitigate the effects of heat on the pipes.

[@gvasilyev84]

@@nicktasteless360 yeah, they buried them underground. Again, I'm not looking down on Lybians. You need a lot of effort to pull off a megaproject, even if it's just wells, pumps, pipes and trenches, essentially. Just throwing money at it is not enough, need logistics.

[@brokenSnake]

@@gvasilyev84 NATO destroyed it all. So when you guys complain about middle eastern and African immigrants, remember why they show up in Europe and America. Because Nato is very less likely to bomb themselves

[@zachattack245]

You know it's a good day when RealLifeLore posts new content

[@celebrityrog]

And yet they're complaining about a little flooding. Do you want desert or water? Seriously, you just CANT with these people!

[@SonGohanHeiji]

Superb videoo.. Thanksss!!! 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 ❤❤❤❤

[@cmdrbillpaxton4302]

I have watched many of your videos and you make great content. Keep up the work. 👍

[@mikedrewson5545]

Your videos are the best because they are easy to understand and educational. Keep up the work.

[@PROVOCATEURSK]

The most important part about CIA is missing.

[@larrybrophy9093]

So much for revolutions. Gaddafes' looking real good now.

[@Abdul.h92]

Can you do a video explaining the disatster of the two dams which collapsed.

[@Herwees]

As a Libyan, it is refreshing to see a video about Libya that isn’t about the political/civil turmoils!

[@bestcricketbowling9947]

West spoils dream of u😔

[@comrade9374]

You idiots killed Gaddafi

[@noone3367]

Libya is one of the most underrated countries in the world, good people with a very rich and ancient history, greeting from Tunisia

[@MrSoundman12345]

Love the videos. Would like to know how long these aqifiers are actually useful for at today's water usage rates, I think it would give nice context. Also, what happens to these aquafiers when they are pumped, just leave a huge cavern in the ground?

[@frasermitchell9183]

Not really. An aquifer is basically a permeable rock formation that is soaked with water. The well at the bottom of your garden, (if you have one) relies on ground water; there is no big cavern holding water !

[@josephmatthews7698]

​@@frasermitchell9183

[@imtiazpabel4769]

May Allah bless Libya and give peace From Bangladesh

[@taotaoliu2229]

Africa’s Mediterranean coastline is a narrow oasis just north of the Sahara Desert

[@AbdalrhmanOS]

i was genuinely happy watching this, that until you reached the present and the dream collapsed, but who knows maybe you will be making another one about it in the future, thanks for the accurate essay

[@HeyGuy4321]

Gaddafi was good

[@seashellbeesaveres7951]

​@@HeyGuy4321 those freedom fighters must enjoying their democracy

[@Faisal-sf1gh]

Appreciate the honesty

[@djibrilyadd4131]

Relevant. Congratulations.

[@maherhammade2336]

Those guys falling of the pick-up truck... 15:28 had me good xD

[@AXELVISSERS]

Sameee 😂

[@alialsenusi2375]

amazing work happy to see Libya in positive light

[@barbarabrooks4747]

In foggy areas, setting up fog nets to catch water and then using it to plant trees, which in turn will catch fog which will drop into the ground or if the tree is on high ground, the water can drop into pools. Then they can gradually expand the tree cover, as was done on Ascension Island.

[@artsymarxist]

I feel like its kinda important to mention that the US's CIA was heavily involved in Arab Spring, Gaddafis overthrow and the resulting civil war that has killed thousands of Libyans as a means of securing oil

[@tyrentyren]

The overthrow become possible only because NATO bombed Lybia, CIA and Arab Spring was not enough, they were forced to bring big guns to finally overthrow Gaddafi. I am baffled by the fact that Western interference considered some kind of conspiracy theory while NATO literally bombed Lybia.

[@amreshkal]

Really great to see a video like this done on your country, my regards from Sirte, Libya

[@krio1267]

love libya from malaysia 🇲🇾♥️🇱🇾

[@Raas639]

Thanks for covering this. My prayer goes out to the people of 🇱🇾

[@kaiserredgamer8943]

On this day I found out that water is not necessarily a renewable resource

[@THRDNL]

well this fucking aged amazing

[@andrewstewart7231]

I think that is astoundingly awesome. It's even more astonishing that they did this in such a difficult time.

[@emyshop79]

As an Italian,we are really sorry to Libyans with our bad past..Hope you guys from Libya can live peacefully and that your country gets more safer❤️

[@LittleHomieLightningtech]

thanks. feel bad for you tho, wasnt a fascist elected as your pm?

[@emyshop79]

@@LittleHomieLightningtech yea

[@emyshop79]

@@LittleHomieLightningtech he overtrowed the goverment

[@LittleHomieLightningtech]

@@emyshop79 no i mean rn

[@emyshop79]

@@LittleHomieLightningtech oh Giorgia Meloni yes she is a "fascist" cuz their moviment was the fascist movement

[@zakariaelalazaar1104]

تحلية مياه البحر. أهون بألف مرة من إستنزاف الفُرشة المائية في باطن الصحراء

[@hanimkd3007]

FYI: 🇨🇾 🇪🇺 CYPRUS has a total of 108 dams and reservoirs, with a total water storage capacity of about 330,000,000 m3. Dams remain the principal source of water both for domestic and agricultural use.

[@aliemadi4993]

330milion m3 is nothing compared to 35000KM3, cyprus's one equals only 0.33KM3

[@Aiham]

Good thing seeing a video about my country. Keep up the good work

[@michaelp9707]

How many people in Libya speak English? Best of luck on finishing the Water project.

[@swampy1234]

For some reason, Libya compels me like no other country. I've never been, but I'd love to one day go. Some of the most beautiful coastline I've ever seen. Love from 🇬🇧

[@Bell_plejdo568p]

Ur goverment destiyrd it

[@elvenkind6072]

@@Bell_plejdo568p Actually it was here from Norway the most intensive bombing campaign came. What did we bomb again? I don't remember.

[@rodolfobaliga7577]

Nice video for this country. I've been in Libya on 2005 to 2011, I worked in tripoli then assigned in Jabal Hasouna, the place where the submersible pumps has been installed and carrying out of about 4m to 5m gals of potable water in a day a project under the administration of Gadaffi the great man made river. This project really help and boost the economic growth during that time but sad that Gadaffi was killed for unknown reason. And so sad we asian workers during that time were force to go back in our home country.

[@vipr1142]

They murdered the last good ruler of Africa. Gadaffi. Just because he was trying to make Africa great and independent from neo-colonism. "killed for unknown reason" is completely wrong... He tried to implement the "Golden Dinar", which would ruin the American dollar and the Euro. That would mean, all African and Islamic countries would only sell oil for REAL gold. - As soon as he presented the Golden Dinar, invasion happened. - Same with Saddam Hussein, he wanted to sell oil for Euros instead of Dollar. And the reason why the French were so eager to stop Gadaffi was because he wanted to liberate French "occupied" African countries.

[@asnark7115]

"For some unknown reason"?

[@AnnemieM]

Wow, that was hard hard work what they did there. To bad it was never finished. If humans were smart and would work together, this world would be rich and beautiful for all. But, we know the story, well at least some of us. Hate and greet in many a peoples heart which leads to desolation and so on and so on. Anyway, thank you ReaLifeLore for this video, sharing this knowledge, Me and the people around me tonight in Canada did never hear of this, neither did I.

[@per-olamjomark7452]

Fun fact. Gaddafi was actually a Lieutenant when he became RCC chairman and the de facto head of state. He appointed himself to the rank of colonel and commander-in-chief of the armed forces

[@dunnowy123]

It's nice to see positive videos about countries around the world, like Libya. We're so focused on conflict and misery, and it gives us such a skewed picture of the world.

[@mapk1516]

I'm wondering if Gaddafi had any plans on how to replenish those Aquifers? Hopefully once Libya becomes stable again this project will be completed. And it wouldn't hurt to install desalination plants to help meet water demands and reduce the strain on those ancient aquifers.

[@rbd6502]

i was hoping that the natural rainfall would at least fill up the northern section of those aquifers like a natural cistern. but rewatching the parts with the maps, its like theres a very clear "no water zone" between the rainfall area and the aquifers. unfortunately all i can see in the future is a scenario where those aquifers collapse or some bunged up effort involving the meditteranean

[@davidtherwhanger6795]

There is no current way to refill the Aquifers without using a tremendous amount of power and engineering. More than Libya has available. This is more of a stop gap. They need the water now, it is there for now, so might as well us it to help build a nation that can better itself in the future. What exactly that would be I do not know for certain. But it does buy them the time to find out. And that water in the Aquifers is doing nothing but sitting there now anyway. And would continue to do nothing in the future if not used.

[@john3_14-17]

Mass desalination, piping the water to the aquifers, and injecting the clean water into them? It would be very expensive but if done it may solve the problem.

[@RK-cj4oc]

@@davidtherwhanger6795 Your view is so wrong. Nothing but destroying. Libya simply should not have had so many childeren.

[@jasonreed7522]

@@john3_14-17 at that point just use desalination and inject into the network at the coast, no point pumping water up hill for hundreds of miles just to let it run back downhill to your cities at the coastline where it was made. (Basically as long as they invested in desalination before the fossil water runs out they don't need to refill the aquafirs) In a perfect situation that would take the oil money and fossil water and use it as a foundation & kickstarter for a diversified modern economy that can fund the desalination plants and other social programs (like public schools and state run/sponsored health clinics/hospitals). But thats in an ideal world ignoring all the current instability and realities of the region. (Its really easy to say just be rich and stable, much harder to actually do it)

[@ruruog2085]

Tnx for the free trail👍

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

9:30 “The largest and most ambitious irrigation project carried out in human history.” The entire country of the Netherlands:

[@Magnfico]

تحياتى من مصر لليبيا الشقيقة

[@HMKfilms360]

Really good video, I had no idea these underground pipe systems were a thing.

[@laurenth7187]

In Belgium, we have each year 34 000 km3 of water falling from the sky. It never stops raining.

[@spencore]

My heart goes out to the people of Libya!

[@ReshY2000]

Thanks for your feels ❤❤

[@SoniasWay]

Always something new to learn

[@michaelp9707]

No doubt just as long as a person is willing.

[@rachelredden6682]

Hi Sonia.

[@sami-1991LY]

Yes, it is the great man-made river project, the miracle of the desert, which was established by the leader Muammar Gaddafi. Thank you for this wonderful video

[@Sophisticlesenergy]

This channel is actually pretty legit

[@franknblunt]

This was prior to the floods & dams bursting along watersheds, when Cyclone Daniel providing substantial precipitation for Wadi Derna that overburdened infrastructure among other factors with catastrophic consequences & creating a disaster upon the coastal city of Derna. While that storm was extreme but the hydrogeology does affect that region & provide moisture that is available in some form, permeate & captured via aquifers or among ephemeral streams like the wadi forming over rocky mountainous Jebel Akhdar & Nafusa, steppe, & plateau areas through valleys & toward coast. Global Circulation greatly affects Libya location much as geography & geology.

[@lolya8029]

9:40 i love how he uses minecraft water block

[@BertoLaDK]

I love learning about countries that has less media coverage and aren't as widely know, tired of hearing about the US and stuff over there. And I love the detail with minecraft water in the animation.

[@cesarcabrejas5509]

I'm happy to become who works in that project awesome In Bregga plant ...

[@ch.dj94]

If you ever write a book about the topic you presented on your videos, I would love to buy one, I love your videos, but I prefer reading than watching (listening) most of the time

[@supernobro64]

I have learned more from this channel than I have from school

[@tendoo751]

That aint a good thing

[@supernobro64]

@@tendoo751 the American school system isn't great

[@CoolestMIley]

Shows you how much this channel teaches

[@stjo4756]

Propaganda

[@charles2183]

Welcome to the club

[@mozymaz2236]

Have you ever thought of making a video about the Transaqua scheme to divert water from the Congo River to partially refill Lake Chad? I would love to see your take on the pros and cons.

[@salakast]

Even better, the proposed (and likely not to be built for decades) Grand Inga Dam along the Congo, which would be the largest dam in the world by far.

[@thezackast2752]

Do you mean the Niger river? The Congo river is pretty far away.

[@salakast]

@@thezackast2752 The Congo River is pretty close to the main tributaries of Lake Chad. It only takes modest engineering to divert a small part of its flow into the lake and restore it to its former levels.

[@jasoncasey6667]

@@thezackast2752 it was proposed to take water from of Congo river through a canal to the chari river in Central African Republic and then the water there in CAR will fill the Lake Chad…. You can the proposal on the Internet It explains alot

[@Tugela60]

The people who live on the Congo might have a thing or two to say about that.

[@yahiaalfaires9532]

4th phase was just finished a couple of months ago, only one more phase to go

[@wulfeman9948]

The term fossil water, or paleowater, refers to underground water reservoirs that have been geologically sealed. The water contained in them cannot be replenished and may have been locked in for thousands of years

[@onkarsingh3230]

Better than any teacher or professor I’ve had throughout my life

[@atheist_ghost]

Onkar or Omkar??

[@Methus3lah]

It’s crazy how I’ve never heard about this before. That’s the thing about western news; they rarely talk about good things, they rarely talk about foreign things, and they never talk about good foreign things.

[@Zockopa]

Lybia once was the social most advanced african country with the highest living standart on that continent. Pretty obvious that a rebbelion broke out there - instigated,facilitated and militarily supported by those who wanted a free lunch on Lybia`s resources and its national gold reserves.... In fact the "rebellion" was a poorly covered up western war of agression against one of the few ex european colonies which truly became independent and souvereign.

[@don70in]

This is one of the countries fell into the trap of the USA geopolitics. I felt sorry for this country's people about their future