Project to tow polar icebergs to South Africa to cope with drought
South Africa's capital Cape Town could escape the risk of water shortage if it turns Antarctic icebergs into a water source.
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Antarctic icebergs could help South Africa overcome its water crisis. Illustration photo:Pinterest. |
South African salvage expert Nick Sloane plans to tow an iceberg from Antarctica to the capital Cape Town to solve the problem of water scarcity caused by drought,Business InsiderThe difficult mission involved a 1,900-kilometer sea voyage, delivering millions of liters of clean water to residents, the news agency reported yesterday.
South Africa is facing its worst water shortage in a century. Sloane said he is seeking investment from the government and private companies to carry out the plan. “We want to prove that if there is no other way to solve the water crisis, we have an idea that no one else has thought of,” Sloane said.
Sloane said his Southern Ice team could pull up giant icebergs using underwater trawls. Using soft fabric geotextiles could prevent the iceberg from melting before it reaches South Africa by slowing the rate of evaporation. However, the team admits the iceberg will likely be about 30% smaller after its journey north.
More than 2 trillion tons of ice break off Antarctica each year, and the Southern Ice team estimates that about 7 percent of the ice is suitable for towing. The project is targeting icebergs with flat, steep slopes, said Olav Orheim, former director of the Norwegian Polar Institute and a member of the Southern Ice project.
Large tanks will be used to guide the iceberg into the Benguela Current, which flows along the southern coast of Africa. A crusher will then turn the ice into a paste, accelerating its natural melting. The big hurdle for the Southern Ice team is desalination, making the seawater fit for human consumption. Desalination requires a lot of investment to build large desalination plants that can process thousands of tons of ice.
South Africa's capital, Cape Town, is in danger of running out of water. Officials have warned that all taps will stop running next year if there is no winter rain. Sloane believes his project "could produce about 150 million liters of clean water a day for about a year," meeting 30% of Cape Town's needs.
