2. The Transboundary Dilemma: Part 1

    

In this post, I will introduce the centrality of the transboundary nature of aquifers to the Sahel's hydropolitical climate. Given that groundwater is the main source of water for many people in the Sahel, the management of its aquifers is vital to dictating water security across the region. Currently, the challenge of collective governance over the aquifers has posed a threat to the sustainability of groundwater resources and has already had vast implications on communities' survival, wellbeing, security, and more. Building on last week's post, I intend to carry the spirit of providing a nuanced narrative of the different riparians' perspectives and their regional politics that contribute to the difficulty of managing transboundary water resources– this I plan to elaborate on in a second post after this one.

There are an estimated 40 transboundary aquifer systems across the African continent that require cross-boundary coordination, cooperation, and management. Of these, the Sahel region encounters 5 large aquifers: the Taoudeni Basin, the Chad Basin, the Iullemeden Aquifer System, the Liptako-Gourma-Upper Volta System, and the Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin (IAEA, 2013). The vitality of the Sahel depends on these resources to sustain domestic water demand, small-scale irrigation, and livestock economies (Colvin and Chimpimpi, 2002). Aquifers are valued as they act as a buffer during dry seasons, reduce the need for expensive storage infrastructure, and are consistent sources of reliable and quality water for both urban and rural populations. 

Figure 1: Map Showing Aquifers in Sahel (World Bank, 2021)

Despite their importance, these aquifers are decreasing in quality and quantity due to a variety of reasons both climatic and anthropogenic. Though, the common theme in their decline can be attributed to the lack of effective, collaborative management of the aquifers. Transboundary groundwater resources across the continent and especially in the Sahel are unilaterally managed and mainly led by nationalist development rhetorics. There is a noticeable lack of effective institutions and initiatives for coordinated management (Scheumann and Herrfahrdt-Pahle, 2008).

The Lake Chad Basin as a case study is a prime example of the ineffectiveness of regional cooperation and its severe implications. Covering 2,434,000 km², which is approximately 8% of the total African land surface, it is shared by 8 countries in the Sahel where Chad and Niger are the riparian countries with the largest territorial share and use of the aquifer (UNEP, 2004). Groundwater dependency and abstraction rates on this basin paint a picture of overexploitation as groundwater levels decline leading to a freshwater shortage. The recharge of the aquifer is down 5% per year due to erratic rainfall and other environmental changes (UNEP, 2004).

Figure 2: Map Showing Lake Chad Basin and Territorial Borders (Favreau, 2007)

The Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) is an intergovernmental institution in charge of coordinating regional cooperation for all water resources in the basin. It proves ineffective as it is unable to address the unequal political power relations between riparian states and gives way to conflicts arising when the water security of another country is threatened (Climate Diplomacy, n.d.). The riparian countries tend towards nationalist development policies on groundwater development with limited ecological consideration as opposed to the delegation of natural resources management to the LCBC (Odada et al., 2006). As a result, some countries such as those who have less dependency on the basin compared to Niger or Chad, lose out due to intense groundwater development policies by other states. The LCBC's mechanisms for integrated participation are inadequate and agreements are rarely complied with due to the limited political will and financial constraints of riparian states.

In summary, the uncoordinated management manifests in the lack of mitigation plans for climatic threats to and the lack of regulation of anthropogenic causes of declining groundwater quantity and quality. The transboundary effect witnessed is a reduction in groundwater availability due to decreased recharge in the Upper Aquifer of the basin and increased groundwater extraction. To ensure water security for the region, cooperation over the conservation and management of these transboundary aquifers must be at the forefront.