Water in the Sahara
 

Not New News..

BBC News - 'Huge' water resource exists under Africa

but an interesting read all the same. Looks like there's more under there than we thought.

Back in the 50s Libya at least was exploring these huge underground reserves, probaby other countries as well. So I smell a rat in this BBC hyperbole, presented as though it's something new.

What ever else Gadaffi did, he built up a successful industry in Libya harnessing and transporting this water though the Great Man-Made River. Libya became the world's leader in underground large-scale water transport and the pipework to do it.
Around 2006/7 BBC Radio 4 broadcasted a lengthy documentary programme from the country and from one of the factories that made the pipes.

The BBC presenter proudly proclaimed to the listeners how he could confirm that Libya was indeed the leader in large-scale water-pipe construction, he'd seen it for himself and met many of the foreign engineers who were hosted by Libya to learn about what the country could produce and build.
Libya had brought in expertise from around the world to get started but by then other countries were seeking their advice.

Here's a BBC World Service article probably from the same journalist.
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Libya's thirst for 'fossil water'

The Great River, as well as supplying water to the coast, also started to irrigate the desert where huge areas of green were tentatively nurtured, and studied by universities all around the world, to see, given enough years, whether areas of desert could once again be provided with natural rainfall. And hopefully in the fullness of much time replenish the ancient underground aquifers. It was an ambitious project but Libya HAD the oil money to try. And the time as well I suppose.

Well, then NATO went in, bombed one of the factories and a section of pipeline, so we'll probably never know.

Now the BBC announces to the world, as news, that Africa has yet another asset in severe shortage in the west........
And a huge chunk of it is under a country with no government........

If you want to know who's waiting in the wings ready to pounce, or maybe already has, look here:
http://www.seismologik.com/journal/2...sil-water.html

You'll learn that three French water companies (just across the Med from Libya) now control 40% of the world's water market.
Veolia (big in the UK) Suez Ondeo (used to be Generale des Eaux) and Saur.
Standby for another raid on Africa.

- Perhaps this should be in 'The Bar'?

Interesting and informed point of view. And a conspiracy theory !

I witnessed the endless convoy of trucks all carrying one pipe each in Western Libya in 2009. There's also a lot of info in the museum in Tripoli.

It is new, or at least the result of a scientific study of the aquafiers was published very recently. They quantified and mapped them and worked out their age a refresh rates.

I'd read that too in the New Scientist I think. You have to subscribe to get the article though :( Using a different isotope (?) to date the water, proving that it was all one lump, freely flowing, but so old that no way was it being recharged. So lots available to all, with no one party having a dangerous controlling interest, but with no recharge it won't last forever.