The Desert: Hot, Dry, And Perfect For Fish Production

Groundwater extracted from arid areas is often unsuitable for irrigation, but it would be ideal for aquaculture.

- Nicholas James

Aquaculture in the desert sounds like a non-starter due to the lack of available water. However, many places in Southern Africa have abundant groundwater that could be used for aquaculture and irrigation. The Kalahari-Karoo multi layered aquifer stretches from eastern Namibia to southern Botswana and into western South Africa. In many places, it is between 75m and 400m deep; in others, it is close to the surface. If tapped into, this water could be made available for both aquaculture and irrigating large projects in this dry region.

GROUNDWATER FROM MINES

In mines that penetrate deep into this aquifer, high-volume pumping is used to prevent flooding. In Botswana, a permitting condition of breaching the aquifer is that the water must be used sustainably and to the benefit of the environment.