A study was made to propose a relevant set of capacity building actions in groundwater management issues as an aspect of IWRM for the Nile Region. The activities were supported by the Cap-Net/UNDP programme for capacity building in IWRM and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR).
The main objective of the project was to analyse the integration of groundwater aspects in national water management in East Africa with a focus on, and recommendations for, possible capacity development actions aiming at strengthening this integration. The survey clearly indicated shortcomings in groundwater data and information leading to:
- Limited knowledge of groundwater potentials in various areas,
- Limited capacity for groundwater development,
- Pollution of groundwater from onsite sanitation,
- Poor catchment protection leading to reduction in yields and pollution of springs and shallow wells.
An important conclusion of the review is concerning the capacity building for IWRM. Overall, the lack of local knowledge to support integration of water resources management has greatly contributed to the slow implementation of the integrated approach. From the survey it is clear that universities and research institutions are not aware of the aspects of IWRM in groundwater management. It can be concluded that decision making level, although aware of IWRM challenges, it is beyond their capacity to implement the required change and need support. It is completely shocking to witness the ignorance of education and research institutions in up-to-date principles of IWRM and its implementation challenges. A major recommendation is to establish or upgrade groundwater-oriented research and education centre for the Nile region.
The study identified constraints and required capacity building actions addressing groundwater management issues under IWRM framework for the Nile region. Various existing and planned country programmes/ projects, which are expected to support sound groundwater resources management are identified for possible cooperation.
Three capacity building approaches are recommended. Recommendations involve individual skills building, improving the organisational capacity as well as engaging with a number of interventions with local capacity building institutions, or directly with communities, local governments and groundwater use sectors.