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Asparaguses production threatened by the lack of water
Peru
Monday 20 September 2010
FJ
Large fields of asparaguses gained on desert and a lot of water wasted by systems of ineffective irrigations.
Peru, one of the world leaders in asparaguses production, has transformed thousands of hectares of desert into farmlands.
The North of Peru uses the water of the Amazonia to irrigate fields. But near the coast of the Pacific Ocean, Peru knows water shortages.
Asparaguses fields in the immense sand dunes of Ica (in the South of Lima) are irrigated by some water pumped in groundwater. Some 370.000 hectares of desert were converted in farmlands and the demand in water has quadrupled in decade.
At present the decline of ground water level becomes alarming. We even think of imposing rationing on water for population in some villages. 300 000 persons would be threatened by the soft water shortage.
The ecologists plan that water- table Ica will be dry before 10 years. A crazy project is going to be set up: dig a 20 km tunnel through the Andes and bring the water of the Amazonia to irrigate approximately 247.000 hectares of coastal lands.
Source: scientific american, Reuters, yahoo
