Scientists discuss ways to extract water supplies in Africa

23 April 2012

The continent of Africa - Libya, Algeria and Chad, in particular - is currently sat on a vast reservoir of groundwater, a group of scientists have claimed.

Many Africans, of course, struggle for access to clean drinking water - but the scientists have suggested that a solution to the issue could be on the horizon.

Writing in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the research teams says that the volume of water in aquifers underground is 100 times the amount found on the notoriously scorched surface of Africa.

Scientists, though, remain unsure as to the best way to access the untapped water supplies.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Alan MacDonald of the British Geological Survey, lead author of the study, commented: "High-yielding boreholes should not be developed without a thorough understanding of the local groundwater conditions.

"Appropriately sited and developed boreholes for low yielding rural water supply and hand pumps are likely to be successful."

Category: Water