Can icebergs solve Cape Town’s water crisis?
Marine salvage expert says plan to ‘capture’ Antarctic ice floe for meltwater is ‘doable’
A leading marine salvage expert is hoping to solve Cape Town’s ongoing water crisis by towing an iceberg from the Antarctic to provide water for the drought-stricken city.
South Africa has faced severe droughts every year since 2015 and has declared a national disaster in its southern and western regions. Cape Town’s four million residents have been warned that most of the city’s taps may run dry at some point next year if the crisis is not resolved.
But Zambia-born salvage expert Nick Sloane - who won international acclaim for refloating the Costa Concordia after the 114,500-ton cruise liner sank off the coast of Italy - has suggested that “capturing” just one of the many massive icebergs that drift close to South Africa each year could potentially provide about 150 million litres of water a day for a year.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This is “considerably more than existing emergency plans, including desalination, that are being considered by the city’s authorities”, reports The Times. Sloane already has 80% of the $130m [£100m] seed capital he needs to begin a pilot project this year, the newspaper adds.
According to Sky News, Slaone plans to use a number of large tankers to guide the icebergs into the Benguela Current that flows along the west coast of southern Africa, “before a milling machine would cut into the ice”.
The salvage master told Reuters: “We want to show that if there is no other source to solve the water crisis, we have another idea no one else has thought of yet.”
He added: “Desalination plants require enormous funding before even a drop of water is produced, but the beauty of this model is that Antarctic water is pure, needs no treatment, costs nothing to acquire and the only cost is in delivering it. The engineers and scientists are all saying it sounds mad, but it’s doable.”
Sloane is planning to hold a conference later this month in a bid to sell the project to investors and Cape Town officials, who were not available for comment.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 2, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published