NAIROBI: Scientists have discovered giant reservoirs of underground water hundreds of metres beneath the surface of Kenya’s drought-prone north that could irrigate crops and head off tribal conflict over shortages, according to the Kenyan government and aid agencies.
Using satellite imagery, seismic technology normally used in the hunt for oil and gas and old-fashioned drilling, the UN’s scientific and cultural agency, Unesco, and the Kenyan government identified five aquifers, two of which were explored.
The aquifers hold an estimated total 250 billion cubic metres, while some 3.4 billion cubic metres replenish the underground lakes annually — roughly the same as Kenya’s current water use, the water minister said.
“If we use the water sustainably, when it comes to water resources we become very secure,” Judi Wakhungu, cabinet secretary for the environment, water and natural resources, said yesterday.
Further tests were needed to confirm the quantity and quality of water, she said.
If well managed, the aquifers could supply large-scale irrigation schemes in the barren north and industry, as well as drinking water. Reuters
