Groundwater Availability and Conjunctive Use Assessment in the Eastern Nile Regional Report

The Eastern Nile Basin has a special significance in the water resources management of the entire Nile Basin. The Eastern Nile basin contributes the largest volume of surface water flows, the largest amount of renewable groundwater resources and also the largest groundwater storage potential when it is compared with the other sub basins of the Nile. The aquifers in the Eastern Nile Groundwater basins and the other basins connected to the Eastern Nile groundwater basins collectively have a proven groundwater storage amounting to more than 210,000 Billion m3. While the upstream countries are characterized by smaller aquifers with connection to present day renewable groundwater recharge, the aquifers in the lower Nile segment are characterized by large storage with limited groundwater recharge, except along the Nile valley.
The Eastern Nile basin is underlain by four major categories of aquifers. The basement rock aquifers occupy 30 % of the basin area, most of which is exposed in arid areas of Sudan and Egypt. The consolidated multilayered sedimentary rock aquifer covers 24% of the surface area of Eastern Nile basin but contain one of the most prolific aquifers with very big storage. The multilayered unconsolidated sediments, occupying 34% of the basin areas is the most exploited aquifer for irrigation water use in Sudan and Egypt. Volcanic rock aquifers cover 12% of the basin area, whereby 80% of the volcanic aquifers are confined within Ethiopia. More than 30 individual aquifers have been identified in the Nile Basin.