On Monday, the US embassy in Libya announced that the Libyan Public Financial Management program, affiliated to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is partnering with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the UN Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank, and the Libyan Local Investment and Development Fund to provide backup electricity to water pump stations along Libya’s Great Man-Made River.
In a statement, the embassy added that clean renewable energy will be used to ensure a more reliable water and power supply in Libya, confirming that solar plants will be also installed along the river to provide the power needed to supply water for Tripoli, and boost electricity supply in southern Libya to the towns and tribes along the river.
It noted that the solar plants would also create job opportunities and provide revenue to local communities.
Notably, the Great Man-Made River is the world’s largest irrigation project and a vital source of drinking water for 70% of the country’s population.