Most detailed maps yet of Africa's groundwater shows scattergun approach to borehole drilling likely to be unsuccessful
Saturday, April 21, 2012 - 12:23
in Earth & Climate
A scattergun approach to borehole drilling in Africa is likely to be unsuccessful. This is the message from a group of researchers who have, for the first time, quantified the amount, and potential yield, of groundwater across the whole of Africa. They estimate the total volume of groundwater to be around 0.66 million km3 – more than 100 times the available surface freshwater on the continent – and hope that the assessment can inform plans to improve access to water in Africa, where 300 million people do not have access to safe drinking water.