Enhancing Water Resource Management in the Sahel for Better Access to Safe Water – An Update on Three Years of Technical Cooperation

Home to 135 million people, the Sahel stretches across 13 countries from West Africa to Central and North Africa, and spans over 7 million square kilometres. One of the biggest challenges the region faces is access to clean water, which is the primary cause of malnutrition, poor health and poor socioeconomic development. Safe drinking water is essential for people, not only for drinking, but also for food production and sanitation. The United Nations considers universal access to clean water a basic human right, and an essential step towards improving living standards worldwide.

In June 2012, the IAEA, through its TC programme, launched a regional project to assist the countries of the Sahel to effectively manage their shared water resources. The project's objective is to ensure adequate water supply in the region, with a view to enhancing the health, socioeconomic development and well-being of the people in general. The findings of the project will provide a scientific basis for the preparation of a strategic action programme (SAP) to establish comprehensive legal, policy and institutional frameworks for the multipartite management and rational use of shared aquifers in the Sahel region.

The IAEA project, entitled 'Integrated and Sustainable Management of Shared Aquifer Systems and Basins of the Sahel Region', is being implemented in partnership with Member States in the region, and in cooperation with UNESCO, JICA, the Sahara and Sahel Observatory. Financial support has been provided from a number of countries through the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI).

Since the project kick-off meeting in July 2012, a number of milestones have been achieved. The IAEA has provided training in the use of isotope hydrology for the collection of water samples, water resources assessment and management for professionals and scientists in national institutions of the participating Member States. Over 50 professionals in the region have been trained and more than 20 sampling campaigns across the five basins covering the Sahel region have been carried out. Additionally, relevant equipment, laboratory services and field laboratory services have been provided through the IAEA. Currently, aquifer-wide hydrochemical and isotopic data are being compiled, which will be used to populate a database that will bridge existing data gaps.

"While much has been achieved, there is still a lot to be done until the project's planned closure in December 2016," said Neil Jarvis, the Programme Management Officer responsible for the project. An Advanced Regional Training Course on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) will be held later this year. The aim is to strengthen participants' knowledge and skills in the handling and presentation of hydrological information, including isotopic data.

In 2016, the project plan foresees the collection of additional water samples and their analysis, in line with each Basin's work plan. Capacity building activities for scientists and professionals in the region will also continue. By mid-2016, review meetings on the assessment of the collected data will have been held for all five basins under consideration. This will be used as input to a final report which will also contain recommendations for improved management of the shared resources.