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Groundwater is an invaluable resource in Africa, providing a safe and reliable source of drinking water for many people and supporting food production through irrigation. Groundwater is generally more resilient to short-term climate variability and less vulnerable to pollution than surface water sources. However, sustainable groundwater development requires careful characterization of the resource to avoid long-term depletion and environmental degradation. This will become increasingly important as more pressure is applied to Africa's groundwater resources under population growth and higher irrigation demand.
Groundwater is an invaluable resource in Africa. Groundwater provides safe and reliable source drinking water for hundreds of millions of people across the continent; and supports food production and economic development through irrigation and livestock watering.  


Groundwater is generally more resilient to short-term climate variability and less vulnerable to pollution than surface water sources. However, sustainable groundwater development requires a good understanding of the groundwater resource, in order to avoid over-abstraction and environmental degradation. This will become more and more important in future, as pressure increases on Africa's groundwater resources because of growing population and increasing demands on water supplies - for domestic, agricultural (especially growing demand for irrigation) and industrial use.


The occurrence of groundwater depends on a number of interacting factors, including geology, geomorphology and weathering, and rainfall and evaporation. Spatial and temporal variations in these factors can produce highly complex hydrogeological environments with significant variations in aquifer properties, aquifer saturated thickness, and recharge. Quantification of these factors, and an understanding of the interplay between them, is required to properly characterize a groundwater resource.   
How and where groundwater occurs depends on many interacting factors. The most important of these are '''geology'''; '''geomorphology''' (including '''weathering'''; and '''climate''' - '''rainfall''' and '''evapotranspiration'''. Spatial and temporal variations in these factors across Africa mean that hydrogeological environments are complex and variable, with very different aquifer properties and recharge. Understanding these factors, and how they interact, is necessary in order to properly characterise the groundwater resources in any one area.   
 
 
However, for many parts of Africa very little groundwater information is readily available (Figure). This may be due to a lack of data collection, or simply due to issues of data accessibility. In areas where data is not available or easily accessible, it becomes very difficult to quantify the available resource. This often leads to inappropriate exploitation of an aquifer causing longer term issues of groundwater availability and quality.


For many parts of Africa, there is a lack of information on groundwater. This may be because data aren't being collected - or haven't been in the past; or because data aren't easily avaialble or accessible. This makes it very difficult to assess the groundwater resources. It can lead to inappropriate groundwater development - such as over-abstraction, or groundwater contamination - which can have long term implications for groundwater availability and quality.


Many studies have recently or are currently being undertaken to address some of the key knowledge gaps of groundwater resources in Africa. This section of the Atlas brings together available information to provide a continental-scale overview of:
Many studies have recently or are currently being undertaken to address some of the key knowledge gaps of groundwater resources in Africa. This section of the Atlas brings together available information to provide a continental-scale overview of:


# [[Hydrogeological environments of Africa | The main hydrogeological environments of Africa]]
# [[Hydrogeological environments of Africa | The main hydrogeological environments of Africa]]
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# [[Groundwater use and management in Africa | Groundwater use and management in Africa]]
# [[Groundwater use and management in Africa | Groundwater use and management in Africa]]


 
These sections provide general background and context for the more detailed information available in each [[Hydrogeology by country | country profile]].
The sections above provide general background and context to the more detailed information available under each [[Hydrogeology by country | country profile]].




Revision as of 12:20, 22 September 2015

Africa Groundwater Atlas >> Overview of Groundwater in Africa


Groundwater is an invaluable resource in Africa. Groundwater provides safe and reliable source drinking water for hundreds of millions of people across the continent; and supports food production and economic development through irrigation and livestock watering.

Groundwater is generally more resilient to short-term climate variability and less vulnerable to pollution than surface water sources. However, sustainable groundwater development requires a good understanding of the groundwater resource, in order to avoid over-abstraction and environmental degradation. This will become more and more important in future, as pressure increases on Africa's groundwater resources because of growing population and increasing demands on water supplies - for domestic, agricultural (especially growing demand for irrigation) and industrial use.

How and where groundwater occurs depends on many interacting factors. The most important of these are geology; geomorphology (including weathering; and climate - rainfall and evapotranspiration. Spatial and temporal variations in these factors across Africa mean that hydrogeological environments are complex and variable, with very different aquifer properties and recharge. Understanding these factors, and how they interact, is necessary in order to properly characterise the groundwater resources in any one area.

For many parts of Africa, there is a lack of information on groundwater. This may be because data aren't being collected - or haven't been in the past; or because data aren't easily avaialble or accessible. This makes it very difficult to assess the groundwater resources. It can lead to inappropriate groundwater development - such as over-abstraction, or groundwater contamination - which can have long term implications for groundwater availability and quality.

Many studies have recently or are currently being undertaken to address some of the key knowledge gaps of groundwater resources in Africa. This section of the Atlas brings together available information to provide a continental-scale overview of:

  1. The main hydrogeological environments of Africa
  2. Major groundwater quality issues in Africa
  3. Groundwater use and management in Africa

These sections provide general background and context for the more detailed information available in each country profile.


Africa Groundwater Atlas >> Overview of Groundwater in Africa

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