GICRESAIT | Integrated and coordinated management of the Iullemeden - Taoudéni/Tanezrouft Aquifer System and the Niger River water resources | final summary

Integrated and coordinated management of the Iullemeden - Taoudéni/Tanezrouft Aquifer System and the Niger River water resources | Final Summary

Surface and groundwater resources are a strategic resource of the West African sub-region and have a crucial role to play in the economic and social development of the countries in the region.

The Iullemeden - Taoudéni/Tanezrouft aquifer system and the way it operates needed to be studied in order to support the development efforts of the relevant countries. Indeed, improving knowledge of the hydraulic linkages between the various aquifers and the Niger River is a fundamental prerequisite for improving the management of the system, both in terms of using surface and underground resources.

The GICRESAIT project was funded by the FAE and the FGEF for an overall amount of 1,728 K€, and was carried out by the OSS (2010 - 2016), with the participation of Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Nigeria.

The project helped:

• Significantly improve knowledge of water resources: Iullemeden - Taoudéni/Tanezrouft form one trans-boundary Aquifer System,
• Identify areas with high groundwater potential,
• Build a regional database,
• Deal with many topics: hydrogeology, land use, groundwater recharge, groundwater piezometry, vulnerability to climate change, groundwater pollution, 
• Adopt a Memorandum of Understanding with a roadmap for the creation of a consultation mechanism for the coordinated management of shared groundwater.