Aquifer discovered with potential to quench Kenya’s thirst for seven decades

Last Updated 13 years ago by Kenya Engineer

A massive aquifer that holds enough water to meet all of Kenya’s needs for 70 years has been discovered in Lotikipi basin in Turkana.

An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, such as gravel, sand and silt where Water can be extracted from the materials by using a well. The Lotikipi aquifer which was found 300 metres below the ground is replenished from distant mountains. This means it should never run dry, assuming it is managed properly.

“We now have a tool that could not only help Kenya, but it could help other countries facing the issues of water scarcity,” said Abou Amani, a scientist from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 

Scientists from UNESCO and the Kenyan government, funded by Japan, have been using satellite, radar and geological technology in a bid to find supplies of water. According to Abou Amani, this discovery could be a game changer for the country.

“I’m not saying this could solve all of the problems because from finding water to providing water to the population is another step because we need to have investment, we need to put in place infrastructure and so on. But we have seen the system and the fact water is there, and that is extremely important and it could be a game changer within the country,” said Mr. Amani speaking to ITV News.

Earlier this year, they discovered five aquifers in North West Kenya and began exploratory drilling on two. As well as Lotikipi, a much smaller pool of water was found in Lodwar. The discovery of Lotikipi was set to be announced today by the Kenyan government as they reveal their plans to use the resource for the good of the country.

The Lotikipi aquifer is much larger than the other four discovered in North West Kenya. It measures approximately 100 km (62 miles) by 66 km (41 miles), has a surface area of 4,164 km2 , contains an estimated 200 billion cubic metres of fresh water and Lotikipi alone holds 900% more than Kenya’s current water reserves.

UNESCO is also exploring possible new water sources in other Africa countries such as South Sudan and Ethiopia other than Kenya.

Source: ITV News