Drout Solution

[Barney's pal]

With it all in the news about the terrible drought in Africa, I was wondering... I have recently visited Gibraltar. For many years now they have used de-salination of sea water and filtering for there water supplies. ie taking out the salt. Why can't they do something similar when there's a drought in Africa. Surely the aid agencies could set it up?

[sallybb]

Dont think the aid agencies have enough funds for what they do, I beleive that de-salination is extremely expensive. How would the water get to all the places that have drought conditions? Africa is a large country to pope water across. The possible solution would be to bore water holes, where they are needed. Think how big Gibraltor is in comparrsion, and completely surrounded with water.

[gingejbee]

Good answer,sally. Desalination only makes sense if you are near the sea!

[sallybb]

thanks gingejbee. thinking of boring a water hole myself. The stream has completly dryed up, the garden is like a desert and I know I will only have to dig about 4Feet before I discover water. LOL

[jomifl]

Africa is such a shambolic continent with almost non-existent infra-structure that the problem is that there is not enough organisation on a big enough scale to deal with the problems of storage and distribution of resources. The political leaders are more interested in self-aggrandisement and looting their economies than helping the victims of their incompetance.
Until the african people take cherge of their own destinies it will ever be so.

[wildwood]

Without the aid of a nuclear powerstation there is just not enough energy to even run a desalination plant in the 'poorer' countries.

Would you trust those tyrant rulers who don't give a toot about their people with a Nuclear powerstation???

Building gigantic catchment areas that drain into deep reservoirs is one option to catch the water when it rains, but to serve all the agriculture is just unreal. There are just too many people in the drought affected countries - cruel but true.

[beso]

Water bores are the only solution but the aquifers in many palces are already unsustainably pumped. Eygept has exhausted some of its aquifers already.

A lto of the trouble in North Africa is due to rising food costs, much of it driven by water shortages. China is buying up tracts of land in Africa because they don't have enough water to support ehir own people. It is knows as virtual water export.

India extracts over 70 cubic kilometers of water from its aquifers every year.

I can't see it will end well. Well actually it will end well. (bad pun)

[boxtops]

When I lived in Brighton 20 years ago, they were talking about building a desalination plant there, they never did. If a country like ours doesn't build them, and we are a very small island in the scheme of things, Africa's hugeness wouldn't stand much of a chance IMO. Saudi Arabia has cracked it, they have limited natural water too, but their cities are watered through processed water, they have been able to afford it.

[beso]

After a decade of drought and poorly planned development one was built not far notrth of where I live. It cost a fortune and has been beset with corrosion problems since it opened.

We had had a very dry time due to the Pacific's El Nino Southern Oscillation flowing eastwards for a very long time. Now it has turned around.

Consequently it has barely stopped raining since the delination plant was commissioned. We have had record floods, dams are full everywhere.

By the time it is needed again it will probably be derelict and well out of date technology.

[scotman]

If the world's population goes on increasing at the rate it is we will soon all need to be using desalination for fresh water.

[Old_Geezer]

Sometimes I wonder why humans didn't all migrate out of areas that can not continually support them, thousands of generations ago. It's more difficult to get other nations to accept migrants these days because each area is doing it's utmost to improve things for the resident population, and a vast influx would ruin their plans. Besides it only takes a few stubborn folk to remain and have large families to take the area back to the same problem state within a few generations.

[Old_Geezer]

Seems as if the failures of the father & mother are passed down to the children to the fiftythird ands fiftyforth generations (at least).

[bazwillrun]

I can just picture it...trans continental piplines accross africa being blown up all the time and the various groups who do it holding the countries to ransom to let them reconnect/fix the pipes.

It would be nonstop, no way to protect thousands of miles of pipes

[beso]

Old_Geezer //Sometimes I wonder why humans didn't all migrate out of areas that can not continually support them, thousands of generations ago. //

My ancestors came to Australia a few generations ago. Personally I could never understand why anyone would have stayed in Britain.

[DrFilth]

while people are starving it makes you wonder why the eu pay farmers to not grow food

>>high intervention prices and also paying farmers to keep their fields fallow <<