Summary
The article by John Watkins talks about the great Man-Made River Project in Libya. The project was very necessary because Libya is a desert country, and finding fresh water has always been a problem.
Libyan economists chose to construct a network of pipelines to transport water from the desert to the coastal cities, where most Libyans live because it was the cheapest option.
The Great Man-Made River Project began in August 1984 and foreign companies helped in the project.
There were three phases for the project. Phase 1 started in September 1993. The water from eastern well-fields at Sarir and Tazerbo reached Benghazi. 1996 Phase 2 finished. The water from western well-fields at Jebal Hassouna reached Tripoli. After that Phase 3 started and it’s made to link the first two phases.
Libya made a cylinder pipe factory at Brega where they make the 4m-diameter pipes that transport water from the desert to the coast. The factory is well-equipped and modern. Nowadays Libya’s government is now beginning to use its water for agriculture.
As a result Libya is now a world leader in hydrological engineering. In the future Libya will play an increasingly influential role in the global economy
200 words

Main idea
The main idea of the article is to talk about the great Man-Made River Project in Libya. The project's purpose is to transport water from the underground aquifers in the desert to the coastal cities. Libyans now can drink fresh tap water due to the success of the project. Libya now hopes to play an increasingly influential role in the global economy.


Opinion

It serves a good example to other Arab countries as an inspiration for them to follow Libya’s example.
The article was very useful for us to understand the value of water for our life and it doesn’t matter how much money we spend to have clean and drinkable water.