Nouakchott - Fresh Water

Fresh Water

Although the rocks beneath the city contained a vast reservoir of fresh water, known as the Trarza Lake, fresh water is running out, owing to the large growth of the city. Engineers have warned it could run out by 2054, since it is not rain-fed, and is therefore non-renewable. The problem is particularly bad in the sandy shanty towns where the majority of the population lives.

Many people already have to buy water, which is expensive compared with the average wage in the city.

Read more about this topic:  Nouakchott

Famous quotes containing the words fresh and/or water:

    Come, blessed barrier between day and day,
    Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health!
    William Wordsworth (1770–1850)

    Ice is an interesting subject for contemplation. They told me that they had some in the ice-houses at Fresh Pond five years old which was as good as ever. Why is it that a bucket of water soon becomes putrid, but frozen remains sweet forever? It is commonly said that this is the difference between the affections and the intellect.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)