The GEF TDA/SAP approach applied To The IAS

Iullemeden Aquifer System: The GEF TDA/SAP approach applied To The IAS

The Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis recommended by the Global Environment Fund has been applied to the transboundary groundwater of the Iullemeden Aquifer System shared by Mali, Niger and Nigeria. The Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis is a scientific and technical fact-finding analysis based on technical and scientific information available and verified, to examine the state of the environment and the causes of its degradation, focusing on transboundary problems without ignoring national concerns and priorities.

Three major transboundary risks were identified:

1. Reducing the availability of the water resource,
2. Degradation of water quality,
3. The impacts of climate variability/change.

This required the development of a database with more than 17000 water points, a Geographic Information System and a mathematical model. This model has among other things, highlighted the overexploitation of the resource since 1995 and the interconnection between the Niger River and the aquifers. The immediate, root and underlying causes (including the governance of water) of these risks were analyzed.

The Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis is a participatory approach involving all stakeholders concerned with the issue. To this end, it contributes to strengthen solidarity and confidence between them.