The Turkana region in Kenya is dry and desolate, and one of the most arid regions on the planet. The temperatures are so hot that the earth gets burned and all the moisture gets sucked out of it, making the population nomadic; they follow the water in order to survive and feed and water their livestock.
Recently, a massive aquifer was discovered under this burned, parched earth; an aquifer so large that it could quench the thirst of the whole country’s 41 million inhabitants for the next 70 years. If this is proven to be so, after the many tests and studies that still need to be conducted, this aquifer could be the solution to all of the region’s humanitarian and socioeconomic problems, according to Judi Wakhungu, Kenya’s Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources.
Not all water from aquifers is safe to drink, and could contain contaminants from nature or man which make it unfit to drink. This is the reason why so many tests need to be done. The thing is though, that the deeper the source of the water the more likely it is that the water is pure enough to drink.
Groundwater’s Critical Role Highlighted
A country’s water security will be of extremely importance in the next few decades as individuals adjust to climate change and increasing modernisation. Areas where there are water shortages or where there is water scarcity will suffer very badly as water is life.
We need water to grow food, to generate electricity, for industrial purposes, for food preparation, for personal hygiene purposes, and for many more reasons.
Although around 70% of the earth is covered in water, only about 2% of that is fresh water. Most of our drinking water is sourced from underground springs and aquifers, so they are of critical importance to humanity’s survival.
A huge aquifer like the one found in Kenya with its 250 billion cubic meters of water could pull the region out of poverty and water scarcity and allow it to flourish as well as improving the health and hygiene of its citizens for many years to come.
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