Africa National Groundwater Databases
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This page provides a list 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 databases listed were created and/or managed by specific projects (often donor-funded) or by the private sector: they have been included because there is no equivalent government database and they have national relevance.
This list is based on the best available information at the time of publishing, but it is not comprehensive and may contain wrong or out of date information, and is likely to have gaps. 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 update this page: email AfricaGWAtlas@bgs.ac.uk
Please cite page as: Africa Groundwater Atlas. 2022. National Groundwater Databases in Africa. British Geological Survey. Accessed [date you accessed the information]. Weblink.
| Country | Groundwater databases (national or national-remit) | Institution responsible for database | More details of database/data | How are data collected? | Is database accessible? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Groundwater level database | Agence Nationale des Ressources Hydrauliques (ANRH) | Groundwater level data from national monitoring network of c.500 piezometers | ANRH measure groundwater levels twice yearly | Unknown |
| National groundwater quality database | Agence Nationale des Ressources Hydrauliques (ANRH) | 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. | Unknown | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | ||||
| Chad | Water point database | Direction de Nationale de l’Hydraulique | Information on >10,000 boreholes & wells, including location and often static groundwater level. No geological data and limited groundwater quality data | Unknown | |
| Water point database | Ministère de l’Hydraulique Urbaine et Rurale (MHUR) | Système d'Information Tchadien sur l'Eau (Water Information System of Chad) (SITEAU): water point database with water quality data, stratigraphic logs and possibly other hydrogeological data. Database was incomplete/out of date at start of ResEAU project & upgrading it was an activity in ResEAU | 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 | |||
| 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 | ||
| Congo, Republic of the | None known | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| Equatorial Guinea | None known | ||||
| Eritrea | None known | ||||
| 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 | No | |
| 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 |
| No known groundwater level or quality database | |||||
| 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 at 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 databases 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 | 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 | ||||
| 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 | WRA may measure groundwater quality in the same monitoring network as used for groundwater levels | |
| 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 | WRA may measure groundwater quality in the same monitoring network as used for groundwater levels | |
| 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 | Joint Authority for the Study and Development of the NSAS? | No national databases known. Groundwater level database as part of transboundary monitoring of Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System | Nubian Aquifer Regional Information System (NARIS): Oracle database shared by Egypt-Libya-Sudan-Chad, based in Tripoli | Unknown | |
| 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 – SADC-GMI? | 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 rest (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 [ https://pemmali.org/ 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
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