Groundwater Availability and Conjunctive Use Assessment in the Eastern Nile Country Report - Sudan

Sudan is endowed with considerable groundwater resources with more than 50% of the surface area of the country underlain by groundwater. This estimate also applies to the areas of Sudan within the Eastern Nile Basin which is the study area of this report. The aquifers of Sudan and those within the study area can be classified into four categories according the dominant aquifer formation. These are: X The Nubian Sandstone Aquifers X The Umm Ruwaba Formation Aquifers X The Recent Alluvial Wadi-fill Aquifers X The Basement Complex Aquifers The Nubian Sandstone Aquifers are the most prevalent in the study area as they cover about 33% of its surface area, while the Umm Ruwaba formation cover about 13%. Alluvial aquifers occur within the deposits of the natural drainage systems. They comprise shallow aquifers of good quality water. These aquifers are significant in areas underlain by basement rocks as they provide a reliable source of water for the communities around them. This study focuses on the large sedimentary aquifers in the Eastern Nile basin within Sudan and will not address the numerous alluvial aquifers in the study area.