CAIRO — In the desert along the northwestern coast of Egypt, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is building the longest man-made artificial river to ensure sustainable water resources to cultivate about 1 million feddans (1.04 million acres) within the New Delta project, which is part of the goals set by the state to protect the country’s water and food security.

The implementation of this mega water project comes at a time Egypt suffers from water scarcity and a water share lower than 560 cubic meters per capita per year. 

The artificial river is approximately 114 kilometers (71 miles) long, including 22 kilometers (14 miles) of underground water pipelines, in addition to the open path of the river extending for 92 kilometers (57 miles). The river is expected to generate about 10 million cubic meters of water.

Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam explained in press statements earlier this month that the river will use agricultural drainage water in the west of the Nile Delta region, which will then be transferred to a water treatment plant in el-Hammam in Matrouh governorate. A total of 12 stations will be built along the artificial river to transport the water to the main el-Hammam station where it will be treated to be used for irrigation purposes. The total cost of the transport operations, including the treatment operations and the construction of the pipelines, will reach 60 billion Egyptian pounds (around $2 billion), according to the minister.