Trans Africa Pipeline (Pt. 1): How to Build a Continent-Sized Water System | Dr. Rod Tennyson & Dr. Romila Verma

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. Rod Tennyson and Dr. Romila Verma, 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, innovation, and the future in mind.

Guest: Dr. Rod Tennyson & Dr. Romila Verma

Episode 1: How to Build a Continent-Sized Water System

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 TransAfrica 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.

Acknowledgements:

This episode is co-supported by the Nurubian, the University of Toronto School of Cities and the Department of Geography and Planning. 

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Credits: 

Music by Imany Lambropoulos

Podcast concept, development, and design by Alexandra Lambropoulos