Could a ‘schlep-an-iceberg’ venture be a solution to Cape Town’s drought?
It is a plan as crazy as the situation is desperate — towing an iceberg from Antarctica to Cape Town to supply fresh water to a city in the grip of drought. Earlier in 2018, Cape Town came within weeks of shutting off all its taps and forcing residents to queue for water rations at public standpipes. The cut-off was narrowly averted as people scrambled to reduce their water usage and Autumn rains saved the day. But the threat is expected to return to the city again in 2019 and beyond. "The idea sounds crazy," admits maverick salvage expert Nick Sloane, the brains behind the tow-an-iceberg scheme. "But if you look at the fine details, it is not so crazy." Sloane suggests wrapping the iceberg in a textile insulation skirt to stop it melting and using a supertanker and two tugboats to drag it 2,000km towards Cape Town using prevailing ocean currents. The iceberg, carefully selected by drones and radiography scans, would be about 1km in length, 500m across and up to 250m deep, with a fl...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.