Source: Environmental Research Letter
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Africa could be sitting on 100 times more water underground than what it has on the surface, according to a British report.
A report in the Journal of Environmental Research Letters says that some of the largest aquifer reserves are reportedly located under the most arid States, including Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Algeria, Niger and Chad, though groundwater resources vary widely throughout the continent. Total underground reserves in Africa are estimated at .66 million cubic kilometers.
Over 340 million people in Africa do not have access to safe drinking water, according to United Nations estimates. Demand for water constutes a growing concern due to a growing population and greater demand for irrigation to satisfy food requirements. Only five percent of arable land is currently irrigated.
The study, the first ever continent-wide survey of aquifers, considered “appropriately sited”, albeit lower-yielding, hand pumps to be more efficient and less wasteful for the extraction of the groundwater than large-scale drilling.
Researchers from the British Geological Survey and the University College of London (UCL) based their results on available borehole yields in various locations and the consolidation of national hydrogeological maps and literature.
Links to other sources: BBC, Radio France Internationale
Architect's drawing of Nestle's new water factory in the UK
VEVEY, SWITZERLAND – Nestlé has its eyes on Britain this week, announcing that it will create 300 new jobs and invest £110 million at its Dolce Gusto factory in Tutbury in Derbyshire, UK. The company is planning to triple its coffee capsule production there, adding 12 new production lines.
The move is the latest in what the company refers to as a series of multi-million pound investments it has made recently in the UK, including: £200 million to transform its confectionery factory in York, £40 million to create “a European centre of excellence for Nescafé Cappuccino in Cumbria”, and this week’s announced construction of a £35 million water bottling factory in Buxton.
The new bottling lines at the Buxton plant “will significantly reduce the site’s total energy output, as well as producing the lightest weight bottled water bottles made in the UK. The innovative new bottle design will use an average of 25 per cent less Pet plastic than the current design, and will be used across the entire still range of Buxton Natural Mineral Water and Nestlé Pure Life” products, the company says. It notes that demand for its bottled water lines has had double-digit growth over the past three years.
The new site will allow Nestlé Waters to decrease the amount of water used in its manufacturing and by the end of 2012 the site aims to be certified zero waste to landfill. Other green measures linked to the site: working with the local community through its “on-the-go recycling programme” and with students who planted a butterfly wildflower meadow as part of a larger site biodiversity plan.
Successful attempts on April 6 were made to stop the leak of radioactive iodine from the number 2 reactor in Fukushima, Japan, but fears about other possible leaks remain. Since the 11 March earthquake and tsunami that triggered the damage to the Fukushima nuclear reactors, dangerously high levels of radioactivity in the nearby sea-water have been causing alarm. Radioactivity levels in the water were recently found to be 7.5 million times above the legal limit, according to CNN.
Tokyo Electric have been depositing 400,000 gallons of potentially highly radioactive water into the ocean per day, triggering anger from neighbouring South Korea. The Spanish Malaspina Expedition, which involves 400 scientists in 2 ships circumnavigating the world to assess the health of the world’s oceans, is taking a detour on its 7-month trip in order to investigate the ocean around Fukushima.
Links to other sites: Xinhuanet, CNN, The Telegraph, LA Times, Vancouver Sun
Japan’s latest worries in the post-quake period concern the safety of drinking water and possible food contamination, with authorities in Tokyo recommending Wednesday 23 March that parents not give their children tap water to drink. Measurements taken showed the level to be above that considered safe for infants and children.
Scientists have taken up the debate over food and drink safety, comparing measured levels and health regulations on radiation. Science Now points to several factors that have an impact on the extent of the danger, such as the quantity ingested and the period of time during which a food product is consumed. Spinach has particularly high levels, it says, because the broad leaves pick up more radiation.
The Japanese government’s recommendations are a wise move, say several scientists, but there is little reason to panic. The Guardian quotes environmental physicist Jim Smith as saying that “Following the finding of up to 210 becquerels of radioactive iodine in tap water in Tokyo, the recommendation that infants are not given tap water is a sensible precaution. But it should be emphasised that the limit is set at a low level to ensure that consumption at that level is safe over a fairly long period of time.”
Moon craters (photo: Nasa)
The moon definitely has water, US agency Nasa announced 13 November, describing preliminary findings of its lunar crater observation and sensing satellite (Lcross). The satellite “plunged” into a crater of the south pole of the Moon 9 October 200. The water was found in the crater, which is permanently in shadow, as part of a hunt for ice. Nasa says the discovery “opens a new chapter in our understanding of the Moon.”
A little less water than usual in Lake Geneva near Lausanne
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The fire that began in Lausanne Thursday 23 September in the storage space of an archiving firm was finally under control late Tuesday, but it continues to smolder, say officials. More than 300 firefighters from around the region have been involved in the battle against the flames and smoke, with the army called in over the weekend to provide relief and more equipment.
Forty-five soldiers from the catastrophe division put in 48 hours, providing a 1.5 km waterhose from Lake Geneva up the hill to the Rue de Provence, to ensure an adequate water supply to douse the fire. The hose delivered 8,000 litres of water a minute for 27 hours straight.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland’s consumer watchdog, popularly known as Mr Price, received 1,281 complaints in 2008, with the largest number about hikes in electricity and medicine costs. These were followed by complaints about customs duties, telecommunications rates, water and waste charges.
SIG manages the famous jet d'eau as well as Geneva's drinking water
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Industrial Service of Geneva (SIG) is campaigning for the purity of Geneva’s tap water. SIG organized an exhibit at the Place du Rhone 21 March to dispel any doubts.
SIG officials provided information in three stages: taste tests, quality control, environmental impact. Hundreds of Genevans brought a sample of their water to be analyzed.
One out of two tasters preferred tap water to the bottled water samples. The negative environmental impact of drinking bottled water is 1,000 times larger than that of drinking tap water, says SIG, which offers a wealth of useful water information.
To help Genevans use their own carafes and fill them from the tap, SIG offered several carafes for sale, with proceeds going to charitable organizations and projects that are water-related. The carafes can be purchased throughout the year from SIG outlets.
Carafes for your eau de Geneve!
