The Sahara pumps on!

Rokcet Scientist · Post by **Rokcet Scientist** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 3:36 am

It looks like the Sahara pump may save Darfur:

Water find 'may end Darfur war'

A huge underground lake has been found in Sudan's Darfur region, scientists say, which they believe could help end the conflict in the arid region.
Some 1,000 wells will be drilled in the region, with the agreement of Sudan's government, the Boston University researchers say.

Analysts say competition for resources between Darfur's Arab nomads and black African farmers is behind the conflict.

More than 200,000 Darfuris have died and 2m fled their homes since 2003.

[...]

BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6904318.stm

The Sahara pump: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahara_pump_theory

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:24 am

And some people just like to fight RS.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:39 am

Hard to dig wells with bullets whizzing by.

Sam Salmon · Post by **Sam Salmon** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:47 am

Once the fossil water is gone they'll still have problems-I read somewhere that fossil water=joy of fools.

Libya is using the same sources to take water from the under the deep desert to their coastal cities where most people live.Of course Libya has petro dollars and lots of them to fund mega projects like this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4814988.stm

Rokcet Scientist · Post by **Rokcet Scientist** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:56 am

Sam Salmon wrote:
Once the fossil water is gone they'll still have problems-I read somewhere that fossil water=joy of fools.

You seem to assume that water under Darfur/'fossil' water hasn't moved in thousands of years and was isolated all that time.
I think that water was/is as much part of an on-going circulation/evaporation system as surface water is.

Charlie Hatchett · Post by **Charlie Hatchett** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:57 am

Now that's a trench!

I'd like to walk the length of that sucker and see what's sticking out of the walls.

Digit · Post by **Digit** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:57 am

But as Sam points out, it's living on your capital, and once that ground water starts to run out the situation is like to be worse.
Long term, the only viable solution for many people is nuclear power and desalination.
I read an article the other day that stated world temps have fallen in recent years despite CO2 levels rising, maybe, but many riverine water sources are glacier in origin and retreating glaciers put those in danger also.