Africa's huge new man-made river spanning 70 miles and costing £4bn to build

It will be built next to the River Nile (Image: Getty)

A 70 mile artificial river costing £4 billion is under construction in Egypt, considered the country's largest ever agricultural project.

Egypt's New Delta Project will deliver water needed to cultivate around 3,550 square miles (9,200 sq km) of land in the Western Desert, in the hope of increasing food security for a growing population.

The river will stretch 57 miles (92 kilometres) overground, while around 13.6 miles (22 kilometres) of underground pipes will transport groundwater, agricultural drainage and surface water across the land after being treated at Al-Hamam Water Station.

The giant project, west of the Nile Delta, will provide job opportunities for more than 5 million citizens, according to a study by the Egyptian Center for Thought and Studies.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said "The New Delta project is the future of Egypt," in 2021 during a visit to the canal city of Ismailia.

It aims to help cultivate the Western Desert (Image: Getty)

The new cultivated lands will be planted with crops such as wheat, corn, and vegetables to reduce the need to import food. 

“The project basically aims to achieve food security, fulfill the growing needs of the increasing population to foodstuffs and reduce dependence on imports of strategic foodstuffs,” said Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly.

With a population growing rapidly, Egypt’s food demand is expected to rise, and expanding agricultural land could help meet this.

By 2050, Egypt’s population is projected to reach between 142 and 157 million according to the head of Egypt's National Population Council, Tarek Tawfik.

The project relies on the Al-Hamam Water Station, which has remarkable production capacity of 7.5 million cubic metres of agricultural drainage water per day.

It is the largest water treatment station in the world, and it even holds the Guinness World Record for it, as well as three other tiitles.