eli5: Why is it so difficult to desalinate sea water to solve water issues?
In: 1972
One of the reasons is water is very heavy. Desalination plants are set up next to the ocean at sea level. Whatever water you make has to then be pumped, up hill , to where it’s needed. In a place like Isreal that can be a short distance and economically feasible. Trying to get that water over long distances, say from the coast of the Indian Ocean to the interior of Ethiopia would be very expensive. Most water systems try to use gravity for this reason. Dam a stream in the hills, create a reservoir and let gravity bring the water where you need it. What the Romans did. A good argument could be made that we build massive pipelines all over the world for oil, why not for water. I guess we’re willing ( in the developed world ) to pay $5 for a gallon of gas, not yet for H2O
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