THIRSTY SAHEL
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In Africa, when you talk water, you’re talking about want or plenty. A single, productive borehole can make all the difference between a living and dying village. This remote village in Ghana is now all but empty because only salty water was coming out of this borehole. The lack of a readily available supply of potable water eventually forced most of the residents to abandon the village and relocate closer to a reliable water source.
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Limited understanding of how aquifers function and the absence of guidelines or standards for groundwater use in most Sahel countries can lead to the overuse, pollution and degradation of groundwater resources. Also, insufficient understanding can lead to boreholes being dug and then immediately abandoned because the supply of water is insufficient, as in this picture.
In the Sahel, fetching water is traditionally a task for women and young children, and women may walk miles to the nearest supply of potable water. Population in the region is expected to double by 2020. As more and more people tap into underground aquifers for their main source of potable water, disturbing questions arise: how much groundwater is available in these aquifers? Can they be relied upon to supply the Sahel region in the future?
IAEA Bulletin 54-4-December 2013 | 17