New water source for Namibia provides new opportunities

A new water source in Namibia could solve the water resource problem that has plagued the country for years. Scientists have uncovered a vast aquifer in the north of the country covering over a thousand square miles and at current consumption rates, able to supply the region for 400 years.

Northern Namibia now contains around 40 per cent of the total population of the country, yet relies on surface water and a 40 year old canal which brings water south from Angola. In partnership with Germany and other EU countries the Namibian government set out to remedy this and find an alternative source.

Importantly, unlike some newly exploited aquifers, the authorities want to make sure that this one is used sustainably, so that water is only taken out at a rate that can be replenished by the natural system. Having said this, it could offer an opportunity to increase agriculture in the region, which has been somewhat stifled by the lack of reliable water resources.

The new find could also act as a buffer in times of drought or with the coming onset of climate change related water shortages.

There are concerns over the safety of the new discovery however. It is understood that there is a salt water aquifer just above the discovery, which could pollute the new source if the aquifer is tapped by unauthorised drillers. This is a possibility as the pressure that the water is under makes it cheap and easy to extract.

Martin Quinger of the German Federal Institute for Geoscience and natural resources (BGR) says, "If people don't comply with our technical recommendations they might create a hydraulic shortcut between the two aquifers which might lead to the salty water from the upper one contaminating the deep one or vice versa."

It is hoped that the new resource will turn out to be a sustainable and useful find for years to come and not another ecological tragedy.