How to Build a Continent-Sized Water System (Trans Africa Pipeline Part 1)

How do you build a continent-sized water system? In this episode, we explore what it takes to design a 7,000-kilometre pipeline to bring clean water across one of the driest regions in the world. Co-founders Dr. Rod Tennyson and Dr. Romila Verma share the origin story of the Trans Africa Pipeline (TAP): a visionary infrastructure project that combines solar-powered desalination, salt recovery, and lightweight materials to deliver sustainable water access across the Sahel. From technical design to big-picture ambition, we dive into how TAP was engineered, and how it could change lives on a continental scale. About the Series: How the Trans Africa Pipeline (TAP) Can Solve the Sahel Region’s Water Crisis What if water infrastructure could do more than deliver clean drinking water: what if it could transform economies, support food security, reduce climate migration, and unite communities across borders?In this 3-part series, Urban Limitrophe explores the story of the TransAfrica Pipeline (TAP): a visionary project to bring clean, desalinated water across the Sahel through a 7,000-kilometre pipeline powered by renewable energy. Through conversations with co-founders Dr. Romila Verma and Dr. Rod Tennyson, we unpack how water connects to everything: agriculture, innovation, migration, environmental justice, and community resilience. TAP is more than a pipeline: it’s a call to imagine water systems built with care, creativity, and the future in mind.