Libya consists mostly of desert terrain. The Libyan Sahara desert is one of the last real wildernesses on the planet earth.
Only the narrow coastal strip receives sufficient rainfall to make it suitable for agriculture and it is where 90 % of the population resides and where the capital, Tripoli, is situated. Rapid development of coastal areas and increased population have placed a severe strain on the coastal water supply.

The existence of vast fossil aquifers in the south and south-east areas of the country has prompted the building of a huge pipeline to convey water to the coastal areas.

Started in 1980 the Great Man-Made River project is the largest engineering scheme currently being carried out in the world.

The Great Man-Made River Authority (GMRA) was invested with the responsibility of extracting water from the aquifers in the South and conveying it for use in the Libyan coastal belt.

The 4-meter diameter conduit is about 1.600 km long. This huge pipeline supplies water to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirt and other settlements. The amount of water transfered daily is 6.5 million m3.

Since 1990, UNESCO has been contributing to the training of engineers and technicians, the setting up of a training center and the establishment of a technical documentation centre.