Could canals solve H G Wells Martians water shortage problems?

Could a world similar to that envisioned in the Mars of Edgar Rice Burroughs / H G exist? And if so would canals be a practical way to make the planet habitable over the long term?

For current purposes such a world would have gravity and atmosphere suitable for human life, but would have limited supplies of water most of which would be locked in the ice caps. Each ice cap would be surrounded by a zone with some water but which was too cold for agriculture. North and south of the equator would be a warm but very dry desert zone where it was warm enough for agriculture but without enough water.

Background information: Assume that water was originally more widely distributed, but the planets orbit was disturbed by the passage of a brown dwarf star through or near to its parent star causing a change in its orbit. Although the change in orbit had catastrophic effects, civilization was able to survive, but is faced with the problem that the limited water available is increasingly being frozen out at the poles generating the need to ship water from cold wet regions to warm dry ones on a planetary scale.

Also assume a civilization roughly equivalent to our own (and no magic!).

posted about 7 years ago

Slarty‭

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