Kenya, with the help of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) discovered an aquifer in northern Kenya, by some estimates, containing 66 trillion gallons of water. Annually Kenya only receives 898 billion gallons of water via rain. This number however fluctuates wildly with Kenya feeling the brunt of climate change. 17 million Kenyans lack a sufficient water supply 28 million also suffer from malnourishment. This aquifer could increase life chances for these millions of Kenyans for years to come.
This astonishing find was discovered by the use of an “underground mapping project, GRIDMAP.” The use of technology, commonly seen as the enemy of the environment, can be used for the betterment of the environment and millions of people’s lives.
I hold an uncertain optimism at this news. Hundreds of years ago this sort of discovery was allocated to the nation of its origin. In this interconnected, globalized world this discovery is allocated to the world as a whole. One would hope that the U.N would distribute this vast find to the poor countries of the world. The developed world however has the ever-important commodity of power in this world; this power could allow the United States and other developed countries to want a stake in this resource just as they have done with numerous other African resources. It is worth restating that Kenya did not discover this aquifer on its own it still required the help of a global conglomerate of nations. With hope I believe that this valuable resource will be allocated to those who need it and not countries already developed.