Hydrogeology of South Sudan

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Africa Groundwater Atlas >> Hydrogeology by country >> Hydrogeology of South Sudan


This page has limited information and needs to be updated. If you have more information on the hydrogeology of South Sudan, please get in touch!


See also the Hydrogeology of Sudan.


Nilotic peoples have lived in the area of South Sudan since before the 10th century. Migrations of many ethnic groups into the region continued during the following centuries. In the late 19th century, Egypt claimed part of the region, establishing the province of Equatoria. By the end of the 19th century the region was under joint British-Egyptian control. The region of South Sudan, as part of Sudan, became independent in 1956. Two civil wars dominated the following decades: the first from 1955 to 1972, and the second from 1983 to 2005. A factor in both wars was the perceived marginalisation of the southern population by the northern-dominated government. The ethnic mix in South Sudan is dominated by Dinka, Nuer and other Nilotic peoples, who are traditionally Christian or animist, distinct from the dominantly Arab and Muslim identity of present day Sudan to the north. South Sudan was designated an autonomous region of Sudan in 1972, with an autonomous government after a peace agreement in 2005. A referendum led to the creation of the Republic of South Sudan as an independent country in 2011. Conflict has continued since independence, both internally and with Sudan, in part over disputed oil-rich land and conditions of use of oil transport infrastructure. A civil war began in 2013 and has caused widespread violence and deaths and the creation of millions of internally displaced people or refugees.

South Sudan’s economy and infrastructure are poorly developed, having suffered decades of civil war. Livelihood activities are dominated by agriculture, particularly traditional stock-raising. The country has significant mineral and oil resources. Oil is the main source of export income, but development of the industry has been complicated by disputes with Sudan, particularly as exports rely on pipelines and other infrastructure in Sudan. Timber is also exported.

South Sudan has relatively high seasonal rainfall, especially in the south, and a number of major rivers flow through the country, including the While Nile. However, water resources are unevenly distributed, water supply infrastructure is poorly developed and access to improved water supplies is low. Groundwater is the main source of drinking water for most of the population, but there has been relatively little investigation of groundwater resources in the country.


Compilers

Dr Kirsty Upton and Brighid Ó Dochartaigh, British Geological Survey, UK

Dr Imogen Bellwood-Howard, Institute of Development Studies, UK

Please cite this page as: Upton, Ó Dochartaigh and Bellwood-Howard, 2018.

Bibliographic reference: Upton K, Ó Dochartaigh BÉ and Bellwood-Howard, I. 2018. Africa Groundwater Atlas: Hydrogeology of South Sudan. British Geological Survey. Accessed [date you accessed the information]. https://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/Hydrogeology_of_Souht_Sudan

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Geographical Setting

South Sudan. Map developed from USGS GTOPOPO30; GADM global administrative areas; and UN Revision of World Urbanization Prospects. For more information on the map development and datasets see the geography resource page.

General

Capital city Juba
Region Eastern/Northern Africa
Border countries Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic
Total surface area* 644,330 km2 (64,433,000 ha)
Total population (2015)* 12,340,000
Rural population (2015)* 10,055,000 (81%)
Urban population (2015)* 2,285,000 (19%)
UN Human Development Index (HDI) [highest = 1] (2014)* 0.4667

* Source: FAO Aquastat

Climate

Koppen Geiger Climate ZonesAverage Annual PrecipitationAverage Temperature

Average monthly precipitation for South Sudan showing minimum and maximum (light blue), 25th and 75th percentile (blue), and median (dark blue) rainfall Average monthly temperature for South Sudan showing minimum and maximum (orange), 25th and 75th percentile (red), and median (black) temperature Quarterly precipitation over the period 1950-2012 Monthly precipitation (blue) over the period 2000-2012 compared with the long term monthly average (red)

More information on average rainfall and temperature for each of the climate zones in South Sudan can be seen at the South Sudan climate page.

These maps and graphs were developed from the CRU TS 3.21 dataset produced by the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, UK. For more information see the climate resource page.

Surface water


Major surface water features of South Sudan. Map developed from World Wildlife Fund HydroSHEDS; Digital Chart of the World drainage; and FAO Inland Water Bodies. For more information on the map development and datasets see the surface water resource page.

Soil

Soil Map of South Sudan, from the European Commission Joint Research Centre: European Soil Portal. For more information on the map see the soil resource page.

Land cover

Land Cover Map of South Sudan, from the European Space Agency GlobCover 2.3, 2009. For more information on the map see the land cover resource page.

Water statistics

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Rural population with access to safe drinking water (%) 56.9
Urban population with access to safe drinking water (%) 66.7
Population affected by water related disease No data No data No data No data No data
Total internal renewable water resources (cubic metres/inhabitant/year) 2,107
Total exploitable water resources (Million cubic metres/year) No data No data No data No data No data
Freshwater withdrawal as % of total renewable water resources 1.329
Renewable groundwater resources (Million cubic metres/year) No data No data No data No data No data
Groundwater produced internally (Million cubic metres/year) 4,000
Fresh groundwater withdrawal (primary and secondary) (Million cubic metres/year) No data No data No data No data No data
Groundwater: entering the country (total) (Million cubic metres/year) No data No data No data No data No data
Groundwater: leaving the country to other countries (total) (Million cubic metres/year) No data No data No data No data No data
Industrial water withdrawal (all water sources) (Million cubic metres/year) 225
Municipal water withdrawal (all water sources) (Million cubic metres/year) 193
Agricultural water withdrawal (all water sources) (Million cubic metres/year) 240
Irrigation water withdrawal (all water sources) 1 (Million cubic metres/year) No data No data No data No data No data
Irrigation water requirement (all water sources) 1 (Million cubic metres/year) No data No data No data No data No data
Area of permanent crops (ha) No data No data No data No data No data
Cultivated land (arable and permanent crops) (ha) 2,760,000
Total area of country cultivated (%) 4.284
Area equipped for irrigation by groundwater (ha) 1,524
Area equipped for irrigation by mixed surface water and groundwater (ha) No data No data No data No data No data

These statistics are sourced from FAO Aquastat. They are the most recent available information in the Aquastat database. More information on the derivation and interpretation of these statistics can be seen on the FAO Aquastat website.

Further water and related statistics can be accessed at the Aquastat Main Database.

1 More information on irrigation water use and requirement statistics

Geology

The geology map shows a simplified overview of the geology at a national scale (see the Geology resource page for more details). More information is available in the report UN (1988), and other references listed below. Some of the information in the Hydrogeology of Sudan page may also be useful.

Geology of South Sudan at 1:5 million scale. Based on map described by Persits et al. 2002/Furon and Lombard 1964. For more information on the map development and datasets see the geology resource page.

Summary

Sudan's geology ranges from Precambrian crystalline basement rocks to Quaternary unconsolidated alluvial deposits. The geological history saw a long period of erosion at the end of the Precambrian to the late Palaeozoic, removing most of the previously deposited sedimentary cover with the exceptions of a few isolated outcrops, such as at Wawa (Kordofan), near the Chad border, near the Jabal Uweinat and in northwest Sudan (UN 1988).

During the Mesozoic, Nubian Sandstone deposits were laid down, and survive particularly in basins within the basement and Palaeozoic cover. Tectonic movements of the Rift system in the middle and late Tertiary led to the formation of vast structural basins, such as the Bara, Dinder and Baggara. A volcanic phase throughout the late Tertiary and into the early Quaternary produced the Jabel Mara and Meidobe basalts and the basaltic flows of the Bayoda desert and the Gedarif region. In the Plio-Pleistocene period, these Tertiary basins received thick alluvial and lacustrine deposits, of the Um Ruwaba formation.

A major shear zone, the Central African Shear Zone, runs through the central part of Sudan.


Hydrogeology

The hydrogeology map below shows a simplified overview of the type and productivity of the main aquifers at a national scale (see the Hydrogeology Map resource page for more details).

More information on the hydrogeology of South Sudan is available in the report United Nations (1988), which covers South Sudan and Sudan (see also References section, below). Some of the information in the Hydrogeology of Sudan page may also be useful.

Hydrogeology of South Sudan at 1:5 million scale. For more information on how the map was developed see the Hydrogeology map resource page

.

Transboundary aquifers

For further information about transboundary aquifers, please see the Transboundary aquifers resources page.

References

References with more information on the geology and hydrogeology of South Sudan can be accessed through the Africa Groundwater Literature Archive.

There may also be information on South Sudan in older literature relating to Sudan in the Africa Groundwater Literature Archive.


African Development Bank Group. 2013. South Sudan: An Infrastructure Action Plan. A Program for Sustained Strong Economic Growth.

See particularly:

Chapter 5: Lands and Water Resource Management
Chapter 9: Water Supply and Sanitation.

United Nations. 1988. Groundwater in North and West Africa: Sudan. United Nations Department of Technical Cooperation for Development and Economic Commission for Africa/Natural Resources/Water Series No. 18, ST/TCD/5.

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Africa Groundwater Atlas >> Hydrogeology by country >> Hydrogeology of South Sudan