List Groundwater Maps Africa

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List of Groundwater and Hydrogeology Maps in Africa

The lists below give details of more than 60 groundwater maps of all or parts of Africa, at various scales. Many of these maps are available to view online, and weblinks are provided where relevant.

If you know of maps that aren't on this list but should be, please let us know! Email us: AfricaGWAtlas@bgs.ac.uk

Continental Maps

Map Title	Date	Scale	Editors	Publishing Organisation	Format	Where to find	Notes
Groundwater resources of Africa	2018			BGR / WHYMAP	Paper map with marginalia		Special edition produced for 7th Africa Water Week. Depicts current status on groundwater resources mapping in Africa. Includes cross sections, TBA maps and information from regional hydrogeological studies
World Karst Aquifer Map	2017			WHYMAP	Vector shapefile; paper map on poster; available to view in online portal	Shapefile download ; Online map portal
Global transboundary aquifer (TBA) maps	2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017			IGRAC and UNESCO-IHP	Created as shapefiles; available to view in online portal; paper map on poster	Online map portal
Global Groundwater vulnerability to floods & droughts	2015	1: 25 million		WHYMAP	Vector shapefile; paper map on poster; available to view in online portal	Shapefile download ; Online map portal ; Scanned pdf map on poster
Groundwater (aquifer) productivity for Africa	2012	nominal 1:20 million	MacDonald et al	BGS	xyz tab-delimited text file (easily convertible to raster/grid in GIS)	Download digital map	Part of Quantitative Maps of Africa set. Shows estimated relative aquifer productivity based on potential borehole yield (properly located, constructed etc) as a proxy, with 6 classes from Very High (> 20 l/s) to Very Low (< 0.1 l/s)
Groundwater storage for Africa	2012	nominal 1:20 million	MacDonald et al	BGS	xyz tab-delimited text file (easily convertible to raster/grid in GIS)	Download digital map	Part of Quantitative Maps of Africa set. Shows potential groundwater storage as water depth in mm, with 6 classes from 0 to > 50,000 mm
Depth to groundwater for Africa	2012	nominal 1:20 million	MacDonald et al	BGS	xyz tab-delimited text file (easily convertible to raster/grid in GIS)	Download digital map	Part of Quantitative Maps of Africa set. Shows potential groundwater storage as water depth in mm, with 6 classes from 0 to > 50,000 mm
Groundwater and river basins of the world	2012			WHYMAP	Scanned pdf	Scanned pdf
Groundwater resources map of Africa	2008			WHYMAP	Scanned pdf map	Scanned pdf map	Extract from ‘Groundwater Resources map of the World
Carte hydrogeologique de l’Afrique Hydrogeological map of Africa	2008	1:10 million	Jean Jaques Seguin et al	BRGM		Project webpage	Not currently available to download
Groundwater resources of the world	2008	1:25 million & 1:40 million		WHYMAP		Vector shapefile to download; Paper map on poster; Available to view in online portal.

Regional / Multi-Country

Map Title	Date	Scale	Editors	Publishing Organisation	Format	Where to find	Notes
Ramotswa Aquifer	2018?			Ramotswa project consortium	Created as shapefiles. Available to view in online portal.	Ramotswa Information Management System (RIMS)	Online portal with maps of the Ramotswa aquifer (Botswana + South Africa). Multiple map layers including aquifer boundary, location of springs, groundwater levels and quality parameters, recharge.
SADC Hydrogeological map	2010	1:2.5 million		Sweco Internationl (Sweden); Council for Geoscience (South Africa); Water Geosciences Consulting (South Africa) and Water Resources Consultants (Botswana).	Created as shapefiles.	Online portal	Hydrogeological map shows aquifer lithology, flow type and groundwater potential
Middle East Hydrogeology / Vorderer Orient Hydrogeologie	1990	1: 8 million	Schöler et al	Universität Tübingen, Germany		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Hydrogeological Map of the Arab Region and Adjacent Areas	1988	1:5 million	J Khouri & A Droubi	Regional Office for Science & Technology in the Arab States, ACSAD; WRD & UNESCO		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS	Covers Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, (CAR?), Algeria, Morocco, WS, Mauritania, parts of Mali, Niger & Chad
Map of groundwater resource potentiality of West and Central Africa	1986	1: 5 million		BRGM Paris		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal	Combines type of reservoir, mainly based on lithology and potentiality grades, based on number of wells/sources inventoried.
North Africa – Tunesia, Algeria	1983	1: 1 million	Stuckmann et al	German Research Society, Berlin		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Carte de Planification des Ressources en Eau du Gabon et du Congo	1982	1: 1 million		Comité Interafricain d’Etudes Hydrauliques, Ouagadougou & BRGM, Orléans		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal	Represents ‘renewable resource of aquifers as fraction of mean effective precipitation. Also shows exploitable reserves, main geological formations, rivers, main wells
Carte de Planification des ressources en eau du Ghana, du Togo et due Benin	1978	1:1 million	Bourgeois	Comite Interafricain d’Etudes Hydrauliques, Ougadougou / BRGM		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Carte de planification pour l’exploitation des eaux souterraines de l’Afrique soudano-sahelienne	1976	1:1.5 million		BRGM with Bureau Central d’Etudes pour les equipments Outre-Mer (Mali) & Comite Inter-africain d’Etudes Hydrauliques (Niger)
Groundwater in North and West Africa	1975	1:4 million				Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Carte hydrogeologique du Congo Belge et du Ruanda Urundi	1957	1:5 million	M J Snel	Service Geologique du Congo Belge		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal

National / Country

Map Title	Date	Scale	Editors	Publishing Organisation	Format	Where to find	Notes
MAR suitability map for South Africa	2009			DWP		Available to view in online map portal
Carte Hydrogeologie de Madagascar	2008	1:500,000	Davies	BGS
Hydrogeological Map of the Republic of South Africa	2004	1:2 million	I du Toit	Department of Water Affairs & Forestry, Pretoria		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Hydrogeological Map of Namibia	2001	1:1 million	van Wyk et al	Geological Survey Namibia, Department of Water Affairs, Windhoek & Bundesanstalt fur Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), Hannover		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal; explanations in report Groundwater in Namibia (Christelis and Struckmeier 2001/2011)
Ethiopia: Water security and drought	2001	1:3.5 million	MacDonald et al	BGS	Created in GIS. Available as pdf image	Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Ile Maurice Carte Geologique au 1:50 000 Schema hydrogeologique	1999	1:50,000	Giorgi et al	Republique du Maurice; Union Europeene; Ministere des Affaires Etrangers Cooperation et Francophonie
Groundwater harvest potential of the Republic of South Africa	1996	1:3 million	Seymour et al	DWAF, Pretoria		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal. See also DWAF.
Groundwater resources of the Republic of South Africa – Sheet 1	1995	1: 2.5 million	Vegter et al	DWAF, Pretoria		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal. See also DWAF.
Groundwater resources of the Republic of South Africa – Sheet 2	1995	1: 2.5 million	Vegter et al	DWAF, Pretoria		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal. See also DWAF.
Groundwater pollution vulnerability map Republic of Botswana	1995	1:1 million	Busch & von Hoyer	Geological Survey Department, Lobatse		Print (hard copy); Scanned PDF
Hydrogeological map of Lesotho	>1993	1:300,000	Arduino et al	Government of Lesotho Ministry of Natural Resources, Department of Water Affairs, Ground Water Division; Government of Italy General Directorate of Development Cooperation		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Groundwater resources of Swaziland - Hydrogeological Map	1992	1:250,000		Canadian International Development Agency; Kingdom of Swaziland Department of Geological Surveys and Mines		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Mapa Hidrogeologico de Angola	1990	1:1.5 million		Hidroprojecto Consultores de Hidraulica e Salubridade SA, Lisboa & MacDonald & Partners Ltd Cambridge		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Hydrogeological map of Tanzania	1990	1:500,000		Sir M MacDonald & Partners Ltd, Cambridge with Hidroprojecto Consultores de Hidraulica e Salubridade, SA, Lisboa		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Hydrogeological map of Uganda	1989	1: 1.5 million		Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners / Institute of Hydrology / BGS		Scanned image available to view in portal
Hydrogeological Map of Sudan	1989	1:2 million		National Corporation for Development of Rural Water Resources, Sudan & TNO-DGV Institute of Applied Geoscience, The Netherlands		Scanned image available to view in portal
Hydrogeological Map of Ethiopia	1988	1:2 million	Chernet	Ethiopian Institute of Geological Surveys, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Addis Abeba		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Hydrogeological Map of Egypt	1988	1:2 million		Research Institute for Groundwater, Giza / Water Research Center, Ministry of Public Works and Water Resources Arab Republic of Egypt		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Carta Hidrogeologica de Mocambique	1987	1:1 million	Ferro & Bouman	Direccao Nacional de Aguas, Ministerio da Constucao e Aguas, Maputo		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Groundwater resources map of the Republic of Botswana	1987	1:1 million	von Hoyer & Struckmeier	Geological Survey Department, Lobatse		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Hydrogeological reconnaissance map of Malawi	1987	1:250,000	Basali et al	Department of Surveys, Blantyre
Zimbabwe Regional Hydrogeological Map	1986	1: 500,000		Ministry of Energy & Water Resources & Development, Harare		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Carte de Reconnaissance des Eaux Souterraines de la Republique de Djibouti	1983	1:300,000	Müller et al	Service du Genie Rural, Djibouti & BGR, Hannover		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
10 maps of main aquifers in 10 African countries	1977	1: 5 million		BRGM	Paper (hard copy)		Funded by EEC and FAC (French Fund for Aid & Cooperation). Based on inventory of docs in CNRS, UNESCO & BRGM. Represents main continuous & discontinuous aquifers, graded according to facies, mean thickness & overall flow rates & water quality
Hydrogeological Map - Somalia	1971	1:1 million	Popov	Ministry of Mining & Water Resources, Mogadiscio		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Carte Hydrogeologique de la Republique du Tchad	1969	1:500,000	Scheider & Wolff	BRGM		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Groundwater maps of the Kingdom of Libya	1964	1:4 million	Jones	USGS		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Carte de reconnaissance hydrogeologique du Niger Sud Oriental	1964	1:1 million	F Pirard	BRGM		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Carte Hydrogeologique du Sud de Madagascar	1957	1:500,000	J Aurouze	Service Geologique de Madagascar		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal
Hydrogeological Map of Zambia	?	1:1.5 million	MacDonald & Partners	? Geological Survey Department, Lusaka; Department of Water Affairs		Scanned image available to view in WHYMAP/WHYMIS portal

Sub-national (e.g. district, catchment, aquifer)

Map Title	Date	Scale	Editors	Publishing Organisation	Format	Where to find	Notes
Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) suitability map for North Kenya	2013			Acacia Water		Available to view in Online Portal
Groundwater development potential map for the Northern Region, Ghana	2011		Ó Dochartaigh et al	BGS	Created in GIS; available only as pdf in report	Ó Dochartaigh et al (2011)
Groundwater availability in Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia	2009		Ó Dochartaigh	BGS / RIPPLE	Created in GIS; available only as pdf	Ó Dochartaigh (2009)	Thematic map on poster with information on how it was developed
Groundwater Potential of part of Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia	2008		Lemacha	WaterAid Ethiopia / RIPPLE	Created in GIS; available only as pdf	Lemacha 2008)	Thematic map on poster with information on how it was developed
Geohydrological Map Series of South Africa	1998-2002	1:500,000	Girmann et al	DWAF, Pretoria
Groundwater Potential Maps for Nzega and Tabora study areas, Tanzania	2002		Davies & Ó Dochartaigh	BGS	Created in GIS; available only as pdf in report	Davies & Ó Dochartaigh (2002)	Maps with accompanying table describing geology, groundwater targets, quality and recommended field development techniques
Afram Plains Groundwater Development Map	2002		Davies & Cobbing	BGS	Created in GIS; available only as pdf in report	Davies & Cobbing (2002)
Groundwater development maps of Oju and Obi Local Areas, eastern Nigeria	1998	1:100,000	MacDonald & Davies	BGS	Created in GIS; available only as pdf in report	MacDonald & Davies (1998)
37 maps in Abbay river basin, Ethiopia	1997		BRGM / BCEOM / ISL				Maps created for 'Abbay river basin integrated development master plan project'

Unlisted Maps

As well as the maps in the lists above, there are other maps at a country or sub-country scale, many of which were produced and/or edited by BRGM. The BRGM maps are mainly in Sahelian countries (see the map below). They were produced between 1952 and 2010, and are held in BRGM archives. Most of the maps exist as pdf images; a few are in paper (hard copy) format only. Also in BRGM's archives are more groundwater maps produced by other organisations, most of which are in paper format only. The details of these maps will be added to the lists on this page soon.

The number of groundwater maps produced and/or edited by BRGM in African countries between 1952 and 2010. These maps are held in BRGM archives.

Africa Groundwater Atlas >> Resource pages >> Hydrogeology and Groundwater Maps of Africa >> List of Groundwater and Hydrogeology Maps in Africa