Water transportation

Unless it has the assistance of gravity, a canal or long-distance pipeline will need pumping stations at regular intervals.

The Grand Canal of China, completed in the 7th century AD and measuring 1,794 kilometres (1,115 mi).

The Great Manmade River is a vast underground network of pipes 1,600 km (990 mi) in the Sahara desert, transporting water from an immense aquifer to the largest cities in the region.

The Keita Integrated Development Project used specially created plows called the donaldo and Scarabeo to build water catchments.

Options being considered include a 3,700-kilometre canal, a pipeline of at least 1,800 kilometres, tankers of 300,000 to 500,000 tonnes, and water bags each carrying between 0.5 and 1.5 gigalitres.