Kenyans Drink a Little Easier With Discovery of 50 Billion Gallon Aquifer
People collect water at a well in Garissa August 2, 2011. Picture taken August 2, 2011. REUTERS/Ken Oloo/International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies/Handout (KENYA – Tags: DISASTER SOCIETY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS – RTR2PKQW
Sometimes, the simplest things make the world of difference–like water. Kenya, along with a lot of other African countries, has suffered years of severe water shortages.
It’s now a water-stressed country, according to the UN.
But the country’s fortunes could soon be reversed. That’s because an underground aquifer has been discovered, and it reportedly holds 50 billion gallons of water.
Aquifers are underground layers of permeable rock or silt soaked in water. The aquifer under the arid Turkana region in northwest Kenya was identified by scientists using satellite exploration technology.
The project was carried out by UNESCO and Kenyan government scientists. Kenya’s minister for the environment, water and natural resources, Judy Wakungu, says the discovery is “huge, huge news” for the country.