Turkana aquifer ‘can serve Kenya for 70 years’

Environment Cabinet Secretary Judi Wakhungu called for the conservation of the water resource. FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By JAMES KARIUKI

 A huge underground freshwater source has been discovered in Turkana.

Researchers say the
acquifer, covering a surface area of 4,164 square kilometres at Lokipiti, holds about 200 billion cubic meters of fresh water and can serve Kenya for 70 years.

In a post on ITV news website, French scientist Alain Gachet, who was involved in the research, said the reservoir could help reduce northern Kenya’s perennial water problems remarkably.

“If the Kenyan government can embrace this system, fund the drilling and maintain the infrastructure there’s no reason this will not change millions of lives for the better,” he said.

Environment minister Judi Wakhungu called for the conservation of the water resource.

“This newly found wealth of water opens a door to a more prosperous future for the people of Turkana and the nation as a whole. We must now work to further explore these resources responsibly and safeguard them for future generations,” she said at a Unesco meeting