Africa National Groundwater Databases
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This page is still being developed. Please check back soon for more information.
Please cite page as: Africa Groundwater Atlas. 2023. National Groundwater Databases in Africa. British Geological Survey. Accessed [date you accessed the information]. Weblink.
Introduction
This page provides an inventory and brief details of known national groundwater databases in Africa, or in some cases databases with a national remit but which may not have a fully national coverage. For example, it includes some databases held by government departments at district or regional level in a country, where there is no central national database, but the regional databases contain data with national relevance to groundwater management. Similarly, most of the databases listed are managed by government institutions, but some were created and/or managed by specific projects (often donor-funded) or by the private sector, and they have been included because they have national relevance and/or there is no equivalent government database.
Note that for all databases, there is rarely (if ever) full data for all parameters. For example, if this table states that a water point database stores data on static water levels, there is unlikely to be a recorded static water level for every recorded borehole or well. In some cases, static water level will be recorded for only a few of the water points in the database.
This inventory is based on the best available information at the time of publishing, but it is not comprehensive; it may contain wrong or out of date information; and it is certainly missing information. If you have more information on national groundwater databases in any country in Africa, including corrections to this table, please let us know so that we can improve this page: email us on AfricaGWAtlas@bgs.ac.uk
List of groundwater databases (national or national-remit)
| Country | Groundwater databases (national or national-remit) | Responsible institution | More details of database/data | How are data collected? | Are data/ database accessible? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Groundwater level database | Agence Nationale des Ressources Hydrauliques (ANRH); also separate databases held by regional water agencies (ABH) | BADGE: stores groundwater level data from national monitoring network of c.500 piezometers | ANRH measure groundwater levels twice yearly. ABH (regional water agencies) also monitor, but data in regional databases may not be transferred to national database | Not accessible? |
| National groundwater quality database | ANRH; also separate databases held by regional water agencies (ABH) | SIQEAU: stores groundwater quality data collected from national monitoring network of c.550 sites: physicochemical analysis (including SEC & nitrogen); heavy metals; also bacteriological? | ANRH sample the groundwater quality monitoring network quarterly for physicochemical analysis and twice yearly for heavy metals. ABH (regional water agencies) also monitor, but data in regional databases may not be transferred to national database | Not accessible? | |
| Water point, groundwater level and quality database | Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS), in cooperation with ANRH | SAGESSE: stores groundwater data for North-Western Sahara Aquifer System (across Algeria, Libya and Tunisia): including static water level, abstraction volume, drawdown, aquifer properties, monitored groundwater levels and quality | Data in Algeria collected and submitted by ANRH | Not accessible? | |
| Angola | Water point database | National Directorate for Water (DNA) | Data on water boreholes and hand dug wells, including location, depth and operational status. Probably no groundwater data. | DNA carry out annual survey of water borehole & HDW operational status. Drillers required to submit details of new boreholes | Unknown |
| Benin | Water point database | Probably General Directorate of Water (DG-Eau) | Data on >15,000 water boreholes and wells. No geological logs, and probably limited groundwater data | Unknown | |
| Botswana | Integrated Groundwater Resource Data Management System | Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), in Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services (MLMWS) | Integrated Groundwater Resource Data Management System (IGWRMS): new database project started in 2020 for data on drilled boreholes and data from monitoring of groundwater levels, groundwater quality and groundwater abstraction. Unclear when the database will be fully operational. | Intended to be, via web-based platform | |
| Water point database | Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) | Register of drilled water boreholes. Intended to be replaced by IGWRMS? | Drillers required to provide information on drilled boreholes. | Unknown | |
| Groundwater level database | Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) | Groundwater level data from national monitoring network of c. 1000 piezometers. Intended to be replaced by IGWRMS? | Drillers required to provide information on drilled boreholes. | Unknown | |
| Groundwater level and abstraction database | Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) | Groundwater level data from c.100 monitoring boreholes in c. 10 supply wellfields; and possibly also some groundwater abstraction data? | Unknown | ||
| Burkina Faso | Water point database | Direction Générale des Ressources en Eau (DGRE) in Ministere de l’Environment et de L’Eau (MEE) | Inventaire National des Ouvrages (INO), stores water point data including location, type of well and pump, and water use. Limited information on borehole depth, geology or yield | Unknown | |
| Groundwater level database | Groundwater level data from national monitoring network (Réseau piézométrique national, RPN) of c.125 observation boreholes at c. 60 sites (in 2017) (some sites with multiple observation boreholes and some boreholes with multiple piezometers at different depths), of which c. 75% were operational | Groundwater levels generally meant to be measured at least twice a week and data transferred to the central DGRE office | Unknown | ||
| National water information system | Probably DGRE | Système national d’information sur l’eau, (SNIEAU): launched in 2003 but may not be fully functional | Unknown | ||
| Burundi | Water point database | Probably Directorate of Water Resources (DRH), in Directorate General for Water and Energy (DGEE), in Ministry of Water, Energy and Mines (MWEM) | Data on springs (the most common water point), boreholes and hand dug wells, but apparently with limited information. | Unknown | |
| Water point, groundwater level and groundwater quality database | Institut Géographique de Burundi (IGEBU) | Stores data on newly drilled boreholes, including geological descriptions, groundwater chemistry and environmental isotope data; plus groundwater level monitoring data from some piezometers across Burundi. Database developed in cooperation project by BGR & IGEBU. | Regularly updated | Can be accessed on demand at IGEBU | |
| Cameroon | Water point database | Water Information System Unit, in Ministry of Water and Energy (MWE) | Information on drilled boreholes | Drillers required to supply data to MWE | Unknown |
| Central African Republic | None known | n/a | |||
| Chad | Water point database | Ministère de l’Hydraulique Urbaine et Rurale (MHUR) | Système d'Information Tchadien sur l'Eau (Water Information System of Chad) (SITEAU): stores locations of boreholes and wells with water quality, stratigraphic logs, static water levels, and possibly other hydrogeological data. Update of previous database held by Direction de Nationale de l’Hydraulique, which stored data on >10,000 boreholes and wells. Database was updated during ResEAU project | Data on all boreholes drilled for MHUR are meant to be submitted | In theory people can register for access to database |
| Comoros | Thought to be but no details known | Direction Générale de l’Energie, des Mines et des Ressources en Eau | Unknown | ||
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | No national water point database; no national groundwater monitoring databases | Some regional datasets are stored by NGOs and mining companies, including in Katanga, South Kivu, North Kivu, Kasai and Oriental Provinces | No national groundwater monitoring programmes, for spring flows, groundwater levels or groundwater quality | n/a | |
| Congo, Republic of the | None known | n/a | |||
| Cote d’Ivoire | Water point databases | Separate databases in different rural water supply subdirections of the Department of Water, in Ministry of Economic Infrastructure (MIE) | Water point type (borehole, hand dug well); type of water use | Unknown | |
| Djibouti | Water point database | Possibly the Water Directorate, in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and the Sea (MAEM) | Information on at least 600 water points, including whether functional or not | An inventory was done in 1993. Not known if this has been updated. | Unknown |
| Egypt | None known | n/a | |||
| Equatorial Guinea | None known | n/a | |||
| Eritrea | None known | n/a | |||
| Eswatini | Drilled borehole database | Department of Water Affairs (DWA), in Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy | Excel files store data on drilled boreholes; sometimes this includes static water level | Unknown | |
| Groundwater level and quality pilot project may lead to a national groundwater monitoring database | DWA | Groundwater level data and selected groundwater quality data (major ions, conductivity/SEC and pH) from monitoring pilot project | Pilot project started in 2017, supported by SADC-GMI | Unknown | |
| Ethiopia | Water point database | Possibly the Water Resource Commission (WRC) and Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) | Location, borehole depth, any pump test data | Drillers or licensors of water boreholes required to submit data on drilling or any use of groundwater in order to obtain an abstraction license | Unknown |
| Water point database | UNICEF(?) | Stores data for c. 5000 rural water supply sources, including source type and pump type, how many users, whether there is adequate supply, and an estimate of source yield | Data collected by World Vision Ethiopia and Oxfam Ethiopia during a one-off survey in Jan-May2016, commissioned by UNICEF, in response to drought in 2015-2016. Akvo Flow, a mobile survey tool, was used to store data collected via questionnaires | Available to download from the BGS NGDC | |
| No known groundwater level or quality database | n/a | ||||
| Gambia | Water point database | Department of Water Resources (DWR), in Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters | Data on water point and pump type | Inventory done in 2014 | Unknown |
| Groundwater level database | DWR | GeOdin database: stores data from monitoring network of 38 boreholes, established 2014 | Groundwater level measured by automatic data loggers that are meant to be downloaded monthly or quarterly. If loggers aren’t working, manual measurements | May be possible to access at DWR | |
| Groundwater quality database | DWR and Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) | Groundwater quality data from monitoring at c.100 sites, mainly owned by public water supply utility (NAWEC) | Monitoring at c. 100 monitoring points; samples analysed by DWR with the financial support of PURA | May be possible to access at DWR or PURA | |
| Ghana | Possibly regional water point databases | Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) regional offices | Data on drilled boreholes including geological logs and other data: unclear if stored in digital database(s) or as paper records | Drillers submit data on drilled boreholes to regional CWSA offices | Unknown |
| Groundwater level database | Water Resources Commission (WRC) stores data collected by other agencies, including Water Research Institute of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-WRI) and Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) | Raw data of time series groundwater levels measured in monitoring networks mostly at river basin level, including 70 monitoring boreholes in Volta River, Tano, Ankobra, Pra and Densu catchments. | Mostly collected by CSIR-WRI or GAEC on behalf of WRC | Data may be available on request. Yearly reports available at WRC | |
| No national groundwater quality database | WRC stores some data for Volta Basin collected by GAEC | Some water chemistry and isotope data measured in c. 37 monitoring boreholes in the Volta River catchment | Measured by GAEC on behalf of WRC | Unknown | |
| Guinea | Water point database | Service national des points d’eau (SNAPE), in Ministry of Hydraulics and Energy (MHE)’s National Directorate of Resources Management in Water (DNGRE) | Data on >16,000 water points, mostly boreholes, including >1000 geological logs. | Much data collected by different projects supervised by SNAPE | Unknown |
| Guinea-Bissau | Water point database | Directorate General of Water Resources (DGRH) in Ministry of Energy, Industry and Natural Resources (MEIRN) | Database developed during UNICEF project, using MWater app and Access software. Stores data for c. 4300 water points (2018), including some or all of location, type of water point, depth, geological log (for 20%), pump type, functionality, static water levels and occasionally groundwater quality | Original data entered during UNICEF project (2018). Data entry can be done using smartphones by trained field staff. Other data may be submitted by drillers. Unclear who has long term responsibility for data collection and management | Available in online MWater Portal |
| No national groundwater monitoring database | A monitoring network of c.100 boreholes developed in the 1990s was abandoned after civil war in 1998. No current systematic monitoring | n/a | |||
| Kenya | Water point database | Water Resources Authority (WRA) | Drillers are meant to submit data on new boreholes | Unknown | |
| Groundwater level database? | WRA | Unclear of status of database that stores groundwater level monitoring data | WRA measures groundwater levels manually across a network, aiming for quarterly manual measurements or monthly in the most used aquifers. Some monitoring boreholes have automatic loggers. CARE Kenya have measured groundwater levels weekly to monthly in the Dadaab Merti since 1992 – the longest continuous groundwater level data set in Kenya | Unknown | |
| Groundwater quality database? | WRA? | Unclear of status of database to store groundwater quality monitoring data | WRA may measure groundwater quality in the same monitoring network as used for groundwater levels | Unknown | |
| Lesotho | Groundwater level and spring flow databases at district level | District offices of Groundwater Division of the Department of Water Affairs (DWA), in Ministry of Water. No central database | Spreadsheets in district DWA offices, storing groundwater level and spring flow data from monitoring network: officially 130 springs and 60 boreholes, but in 2020 there was regular monitoring of 30 springs and 20 boreholes | District DWA staff measure spring flow and groundwater level (manually) every three months | Unknown |
| Liberia | Two water point databases | National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Commission (NWSHPC) | Two databases with water point survey data. Limited direct groundwater data – no geological logs, groundwater level or groundwater chemistry data, but often includes information on water point type, depth, whether water is available year-round or not, and how long it is typically dry for, if seasonally dry, qualitative water quality information (eg 'coloured, 'bad taste', 'salty', 'red'); and whether a water quality sample has ever been taken (but not the results of sampling). | Water point surveys done in 2011 and 2017 | Can be downloaded online at WASH Liberia |
| Libya | No national databases known | Possibly General Water Authority (GWA) | Unknown | ||
| Groundwater level database | Joint Authority for the Study and Development of the NSAS? | NARIS: Nubian Aquifer Regional Information System: Oracle database, based in Tripoli; stores monitoring data for the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System across Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Chad. | Unclear what data for Libya are included | Not accessible? | |
| Water point, groundwater level and quality database | Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS), in theory in cooperation with GWA in Libya | SAGESSE: stores groundwater data for North-Western Sahara Aquifer System (across Algeria, Libya and Tunisia): including static water level, abstraction volume, drawdown, aquifer properties, monitored groundwater levels and quality | Unclear what data for Libya are included | Not accessible? | |
| Madagascar | SADC-GMI? | Water point database for northern Madagascar | Database developed for SADC Hydrogeological Mapping project (2010). Stores varying amounts of data on borehole depth, geology, aquifer type, water level, yield, and groundwater chemistry (e.g. SEC/conductivity, total dissolved solids, nitrate and fluoride) | Data entered during SADC Hydrogeological Mapping project (2010). | Available to view in online map viewer in SADC GMI Groundwater Information Portal |
| No national water point, groundwater level or quality databases | Pilot project for groundwater level monitoring in southern Madagascar begun 2014: Groundwater Resource Observatory for Southwestern Madagascar (GROSOM): 2 sites as of 2018, each monitoring 3-6 boreholes | Data collected for GROSOM project | Unknown | ||
| Malawi | Water point database | Uncertain – possibly SADC-GMI | Stores data on borehole depth, static water level, yield and how yield was measured, some chemistry (SEC, TDS, F, NO3) | Data entered during SADC Hydrogeological Mapping project (2010). | Available to view in online map viewer in SADC GMI Groundwater Information Portal |
| Groundwater level database | Previously Groundwater Division, Department of Water Resources (DWR), in Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources. Now/in future (?) may be National Water Resources Authority (NWRA) | Groundwater level data from a monitoring network of c.75 boreholes. Data is entered into Excel and later transferred to Hydstra database | Monitoring boreholes fitted with automatic data loggers, recording up to every 15 minutes. Data download is not regular. | Unknown | |
| Groundwater quality database | Previously Groundwater Division, DWR. Now/in future (?) may be NWRA | Previously, groundwater quality monitoring was carried out at a network of sites, but it was reported in 2014 that regular monitoring was not done. Historical data may be available. | Unknown | ||
| Mali | Water point database | Direction Nationale de l'Hydraulique du Mali (DNH), in Ministère de l’Énergie et de l'Eau | Système Informatique de Gestion des ressources en eau du Mali (SIGMA) (Water Resources Management Information System). Launched 1986 & has gone through periods of active and inactive use. Stored data on c. 19,000 boreholes and c. 10,000 hand dug wells (2008), including pump type, functionality; some static water level; whether there is known contamination; and some inorganic water quality data measured at time of drilling. No geological logs | Unknown | |
| Water point database | DNH | Inventaire National des Points d'Eau au Mali: new water point database started 2015. Unclear if it supercedes SIGMA (see above). Includes information about water point functionality and number of users. No groundwater data. | Available online at Points d’Eau Modernes Mali | ||
| Groundwater level database | DNH | Groundwater level data measured from monitoring network of c.180 piezometers in southwest Mali (2018) | In 2018, data collected from c.95 piezometers fitted with telemetered automatic data loggers; 20 fitted with non-telemetered automatic data loggers; and 45 monitored manually | Unknown | |
| Mauritania | Water point database | National Centre of Water Resources (CNRE) | Access database at central CNRE office, also accessible by local offices. Stores variable amounts of data on >14,000 water points, including boreholes and hand dug wells. Not much groundwater data, including geological logs or water levels. | Unknown | |
| Groundwater level database for public water supply wellfields | Société Nationale de Distribution d’Eau (SNDE) (CNRE has responsibility for centralising monitoring data) | Stores data collected from boreholes in public water supply wellfields | SNDE measures groundwater levels with variable frequency and regularity but on average twice yearly. | May be available from SNDE | |
| Morocco | Groundwater level database | Direction Générale de l'Hydraulique (General Directorate of Water) (DGH) | BADRE21: stores groundwater level data collected from monitoring networks at Basin Agency level. Database not updated since 2004 & a replacement database called SNIE is in development. Includes a groundwater quality component that's not in use. | Data collected by regional water (basin) agencies (ABH) from unknown number of monitoring wells, some of which are equipped with telemetry for continuous monitoring. In theory, important and/or overexploited aquifers are monitored more frequently than other aquifers | In theory, available on request |
| Water quality database | Direction Générale de l'Hydraulique (General Directorate of Water) (DGH) | SIG Qualité: includes groundwater quality data, including in-situ parameters, major ions, contaminants including nitrate and ammonium, and bacteriological data. Data from a monitoring network of c.615 monitoring wells | Database populated by nine separate regional water agencies (ABH); monitoring frequency is variable but at least once a year | In theory, available on request | |
| Groundwater quality database | Office National de l'Electricité et de l'Eau Potable (ONEE) | GDAL2: water quality data from monitoring of urban municipal drinking water sources. | ONEE | In theory, available on request | |
| Mozambique | No national groundwater monitoring database – there may be several regional databases | Regional Water Administrations (ARAs) – ARA-Sul, ARA-Norte and ARA-Zambeze | Groundwater level and quality monitoring data is decentralised and held in 3 Regional Water Administrations (ARAs). National Water Directorate (DWA) doesn’t store data centrally. ARAs collect and store groundwater level and quality data for specific aquifers or wellfields: ARA-Sul for up to 25 sites in the Greater Maputo Aquifer; ARA-Norte for the Pemba wellfield; ARA-Zambeze for the Tete & Quelimane city wellfields. Groundwater chemistry monitoring may be limited to conductivity and selected ions. | In theory ARAs measure groundwater levels monthly and groundwater quality every six months, but in practice most monitoring may be irregular | External access may be granted on written request to ARAs. |
| Namibia | Groundwater level and quality database | Geohydrology Division / Resource Management Directorate / Department of Water Affairs (and Forestry) / Ministry of Agricultural, Water & Land Reform | Digital National Groundwater Database (GROWAS2). Data from a national groundwater level monitoring network of c. 629 boreholes and a groundwater quality monitoring network of c. 50 boreholes. Monitoring data entered to Excel; checked and verified by Geohydrology Division; and transferred to GROWAS2. | Groundwater levels mainly by automatic data loggers: some telemeter daily; others are downloaded quarterly | Monitoring locations & summary info (station type manual or digital; groundwater quality category) available in Namibian Monitoring Information System (NA-MIS) online viewer. Monitoring data accessible by request in some circumstances |
| Niger | Water point database | Agency for Groundwater Exploitation (Office d’Exploitation des Eaux Souterraines, in Ministry of Water and Sanitation | Inventory of Hydraulic Resources / Inventaire des Ressources Hydrauliques (IRH): held >25,000 water points (2022). No geological log or water quality data; no groundwater data for most water points but some rest (static) water level data. | Linked with SIGNER to allow visualising in a map viewer. | |
| Groundwater level data | Data collected by regional directorates of Ministry of Water and Sanitation | Not known how data are stored | Groundwater levels measured in monitoring network of c.300-400 boreholes, by regional directorates of Ministry of Water and Sanitation. A few boreholes equipped with automatic loggers. Frequency of water level measurements is highly variable, from 2 – 3 times per month to 1 – 2 times per year. A new monitoring network recently established in Niamey by BGR with Niger Basin Authority (NBA) with data loggers measuring groundwater levels twice a day; aim is to add data to a database | National data unknown. Niamey BGR/NBA monitoring network data available to NBA | |
| No known groundwater quality database | No current national groundwater quality monitoring. SEEN (water supply company) may collect some quality data from abstraction wellfields around Niamay. New monitoring network in Niamey (BGR/NBA, see line above) in which groundwater chemistry is measured monthly | Niamey BGR/NBA monitoring network data available to NBA | |||
| Nigeria | A new national water point database proposed in 2021 | Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) | May not yet exist? | Database intended to be populated by borehole drillers and/or organisations doing drilling projects submitting information on newly drilled boreholes | |
| Groundwater level monitoring data | NIHSA Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources | Not known how data are stored | Groundwater levels measured in network of 43 piezometers; 32 equipped with data loggers recording once or twice a day | Unknown | |
| No current groundwater quality database | No current national groundwater quality monitoring | n/a | |||
| Rwanda | Water point database may be in development | Rwanda Water and Forestry Authority (RWFA) ; Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWRB) | New water borehole inventory may be in development, but no details known | Unknown | |
| Groundwater level database | RWFA ; RWRB | Digital database storing groundwater level data | Groundwater levels measured in monitoring network of 24 boreholes (2021). Some boreholes equipped with telemetered automatic loggers; some boreholes manually dipped | Rwanda Water Portal makes available groundwater level and conductivity monitoring data, including some real time groundwater level data available to view | |
| Currently limited groundwater quality database | A national groundwater quality monitoring network is in development. Conductivity is monitored by automatic logger in some groundwater level monitoring boreholes | Conductivity in monitoring boreholes available to view in Rwanda Water Portal | |||
| Senegal | Water point database | DGPRE | PROGRES: Excel database, with >8000 water points (in 2015). Data includes borehole depth, construction (screen intervals & pump position), aquifer type, water point use, yield & drawdown during pumping test. Very limited or no water quality data, but some water quality samples are taken from newly drilled boreholes. | Drilling companies are required to report to DGPRE data from drilling & testing new boreholes. DGPRE also carries out inventories of boreholes and wells, regularly updated | In theory, data available on request from DGPRE |
| Groundwater level & quality database | DGPRE | CHRONO database, stores data from national monitoring network for groundwater levels & quality, managed by DGPRE, of c. 500 sites, including at least 290 dedicated observation boreholes (in 2019). Groundwater quality data from national network includes pH, temperature, conductivity and total dissolved solids; and sometimes major ions. | Frequency & numbers of measurements vary. In theory, measured monthly in Dakar area; 4 times per year on the coastline; twice a year in the rest of the country. Some boreholes equipped with automatic loggers. | Available from DGPRE | |
| Groundwater level & quality database | SONES | SONES stores data in Excel; for additional groundwater level and quality monitoring boreholes near wellfields. Similar parameters to national network plus microbiological data. | Unknown | ||
| Groundwater abstraction data | SONES and OFOR; DGPRE | SONES has abstraction data from c. 270 production boreholes at wellfields, some since 1959. OFOR has a separate database. DGPRE collects abstraction data (pumping rates) from a few private boreholes, mainly those few that are equipped with flowmeters. | SONES records abstraction twice yearly | SONES and OFOR share data with DGPRE, but not thought to be available externally | |
| Sierra Leone | No national groundwater monitoring network or database | n/a | |||
| Somalia | Regional water point databases ; and some local water point databases | Regional information management centres in Garowe, Hargeisa and Moqdisho. Local databases held by private consultants & FAO-SWALIM program | At least three regional databases, for Garowe, Hargeisa and Moqdisho. | Regional databases may be accessible via regional information management centres. Local databases held by private consultants and FAO-SWALIM not thought to be accessible | |
| Groundwater level and basic quality monitoring network in Somaliland & Puntland. May be additional local water quality data | FAO/SWALIM | Groundwater level data from monitoring network of 9 boreholes (in 2022) in Somaliland & Puntland; also water temperature and conductivity for this network | Monitoring network installed with automatic data loggers for water level, temperature and conductivity. Additionally, local water utilities carry out sporadic water quality monitoring, but location of data is unknown. | Unknown | |
| South Africa | National Groundwater Information System – water point inventory, groundwater level and groundwater quality databases | Groundwater Offices / National Hydrological Services Directorate / Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS ) | The National Groundwater Archive (NGA) is a centralised database that includes a water point inventory with >280,000 sites (in 2022); a separate Hydrstra database with groundwater level monitoring data for c.1,800 monitoring points; and a separate Water Management System (WMS) storing water quality data. | DWS (regional offices?) measure groundwater levels monthly, manually with water level dipper | The National Groundwater Archive has a web interface with online registration to access data. Some summary data from WMS is reported online. No groundwater level summary data available online (2022) but available in reports & groundwater level data can be requested. |
| South Sudan | Water point inventory | Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation | Water Information Management System (WIMS). Stores data for for c.9600 water points (in 2012). Includes water point type, depth, static water level, and estimated yield | Database (as of 2012) available to view and download at HDX | |
| Sudan | Groundwater level database | Groundwater and Wadis Department | Groundwater Directorate Database (also stored in spreadsheets?) stores groundwater level data for specific areas, including selected wadis (Nyala and Gash) and from a regional monitoring network in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System in north Sudan. Also NARIS: Oracle database for the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System in four countries, including Sudan (based in Tripoli - see Libya, above) | Groundwater and Wadis Department monitors groundwater levels, both manually and using automatic loggers. | Unknown |
| Tanzania | Water point inventory | Directorate of Water Resources, Ministry of Water (MoW) | Stores data for 9,242 boreholes (in 2005). Many boreholes have no data recorded and for others data are incomplete, including lacking coordinates | There is a requirement to supply information on drilled boreholes to the Directorate of Water Resources, MoW | Unknown |
| No national groundwater level or quality monitoring network data but some local networks, eg at water supply wellfields | Water Resources Division, Ministry of Water ; and Arusha Urban Water Supply Authority (for Arusha wellfield) | Data from local monitoring networks at water supply wellfields (eg Dodoma (Makutapora), Arusha, Moshi) | Groundwater level monitoring usually done manually, by Ministry of Water, sometimes with external organisations, eg World Bank and JICA. Groundwater quality monitoring done by Ministry of Water through 9 lake/river basins, usually quarterly | Unknown | |
| Togo | Details unknown | Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Water | Development of an Integrated Water Information System (IWIS) began in 2009, but its status is unknown | Unknown | |
| Tunisia | Groundwater level and quality database | General Directorate of Water Resources (DGRE) with regional departments (Regional Commissariat for Agricultural Development - CRDA) | SYGREAU: stores groundwater level and quality (total dissolved solids (TDS) and nitrate (NO3)) data from national monitoring networks. Data for c. 10,000 shallow wells, 13,000 drilled abstraction boreholes and >1500 dedicated monitoring wells (in 2022). | Regional DGRE departments (CRDA) measure groundwater levels twice yearly (since 1991); groundwater quality measured twice yearly from 1998-2005 & once a year since 2005. Each CRDA has its own regional database and supplies data to central SYGREAU database | Database not available online; DGRE publish annual summary reports on monitoring data |
| Groundwater quality data from monitoring network(s) around supply wellfields | National Water Distribution Utility (SONEDE) | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Uganda | Water point inventory | Directorate of Water Resources Management (DWRM), of Ministry of Water and Environment (MoWE) | National Groundwater Database (NGWDB), stores data for boreholes >30m deep. Sometimes includes drillers log, construction, pumping test, water quality and pump installation data. | Drilling contractors are meant to return borehole completion forms quarterly | Unknown |
| Groundwater level data from national monitoring network | DWRM, of MoWE | Access database stores data from national groundwater level monitoring network of c.55 boreholes (in 2017), of which 23 were operational and 23 newly drilled and awaiting instrumentation. | Data collected using chart recorders and automatic loggers | Unknown | |
| Groundwater quality data from 8 major catchments) | DWRM, of MoWE | Groundwater quality monitoring data | Measured bi-weekly and analysed by DWRM | Unknown | |
| Zambia | Water point inventory | Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) | Groundwater Information Management System (GrIMS) in GeODin© – a commercial software based on Access. Stores data for c. 31,000 boreholes (in 2019), starting in c.1970. This can include geological logs, aquifer type, pump test graphs, rest water level and water quality data from time of drilling, borehole completion form | Borehole data supplied by drillers; entered to database by WARMA | Available to WARMA and Ministry; external users can access on written request |
| Groundwater level monitoring network | WARMA | GWL monitoring network of c.100 piezometers, 44 of which are around Lusaka | WARMA measure groundwater levels. In Lusaka this is 4 times a year. | Unknown | |
| No known national groundwater quality monitoring | n/a | ||||
| Zimbabwe | Water point inventory | Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) via catchment councils | Borehole database. Stores data for thousands of boreholes. Data include depth; geology; aquifer type & potential; static water level; yield & how yield was measured; selected water quality parameters (conductivity, TDS, F, NO3) | Data extracted from borehole siting and drilling reports, which in theory must be submitted to catchment councils & passed to ZINWA | Available to view & query in online SADC-GIP Groundwater Information Portal |
| Groundwater level monitoring data | Groundwater Department of ZINWA | Hydro GeoAnalyst database stores groundwater level data from monitoring networks in three major aquifers: Lomagundi Dolomite Aquifer , Nyamadlovu Sandstone Aquifer and the Save Alluvial Aquifer | Groundwater levels measured manually each month by ZINWA. Data entered to Excel; QAd; then entered to database | Unknown |
Information sources
The information in the table was collated from many different sources, both online and offline. For ease of use, individual information sources are not referenced in the table, but key sources that provided information for many countries include the following:
IGRAC. 2020. National groundwater monitoring programmes - A global overview of quantitative groundwater monitoring networks. Report produced by IGRAC in cooperation with WMO and with contributions of many national water authorities.
Sterckx A, Nijsten G-J, Gomo M, Lukas E and Kukurić N. 2019. State of Groundwater Data Collection and Data Management in SADC Member States. Report produced for SADC-GMI by IGRAC in cooperation with Institute for Groundwater Studies (IGS), University of the Free State, South Africa.
Danert K, Diene M, Indij D and Tijani M. 2022. Professional Drilling Management Online Course: Training Report 2022. Ask for Water GmbH, Africa Groundwater Network (AGW-Net), Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), UNDP Cap-Net, & Partenariat National de l'Eau du Sénégal (PNES) (in draft).
Thanks are also given particularly to the following people who provided information:
Arnaud Sterckx, IGRAC
Sara Vassolo, BGR
Kerstin Danert, Ask for Water GmbH; Moustapha Diene, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal; and attendees of the Cap-Net online groundwater courses, 2022.
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