Flood the Sahara

[notgivenaway]

Why not flood parts of the Sahara?

Countries like Chad, Mali, even Algeria and Tunisia to some extent, haven't progressed economically to a high degree.

If a canal can be built that has a continuous link to the Atlantic Ocean or Mediterranean Sea, then it could lead to arable lands, and less need for migration to Europe.

 

[aggienation]

Nice. We can pave the walls of the canal with gold too. Mix diamonds in with the concrete, to give it a nice shiny sheen. The water will be extra purified too, reverse osmosis filters ever 100 meters for the length of it.

 

[Eye of Woland]

First proposed back in 1877, none of the later proposals came to fruition.

In 1964 Friedrich Bassler wanted to flood an inland depression for hydroelectricity, digging a canal to the Mediterranean the old-fashioned way was too expensive and time-consuming, so his idea involved dropping 200 nukes to create the canal. It was rejected.

The Sahara Sea: A Hypothetical Project To Create A Sea In The Sahara Desert

 

[Naomasa298]

If a canal can be built that has a continuous link to the Atlantic Ocean or Mediterranean Sea, then it could lead to arable lands, and less need for migration to Europe.

You do realise both of those bodies are full of salt water, right? Ever tried watering arable crops with salt water?

 

[Chlodio]

I once heard of a plan to channel water from the lake above Aswan Dam into the Qatara Depression thereby creating a second Nile and increasing Egypt's arable land. It seemed plausible to me but expensive.

Another plan I once heard was to channel from the Mediterranian to the Dead Sea. Along the way the water would be used to cool Israel's nuclear reactor. No problem with salt water since the Dead Sea is also salt water. The channel was supposed to solve the problem of the Dead Sea drying up, but I don't know how salt water was going to fix that problem. The Dead Sea is drying up because too much fresh water is being pumped out of its tributaries. The tributary water only becomes salty when it reaches the Dead Sea. Just adding salt water to the Dead Sea would not create more fresh water without expensive desalination.

 

[bboomer]

edited.

 

[Olleus]

First proposed back in 1877, none of the later proposals came to fruition.

In 1964 Friedrich Bassler wanted to flood an inland depression for hydroelectricity, digging a canal to the Mediterranean the old-fashioned way was too expensive and time-consuming, so his idea involved dropping 200 nukes to create the canal. It was rejected.

The Sahara Sea: A Hypothetical Project To Create A Sea In The Sahara Desert

 

[macon]

I've read that Chad nearly destroyed it''s big but shallow Chad lake. That it is going into Aral's direction.

 

[aggienation]

You do realise both of those bodies are full of salt water, right? Ever tried watering arable crops with salt water?

With that level of negativity, how are we ever supposed to get anything positive done for the planet?

 

[Naomasa298]

With that level of negativity, how are we ever supposed to get anything positive done for the planet?

But, but, but if we flood the Sahara then the sandworms won't have anywhere to live and we won't have anywhere to mine the spice...