Darfur Mega Lake between realism and optimism

The recent announcement by Professor Elbaz about the discovery of a Mega Lake in Northern Darfur is very interesting, but I am somewhat mystified by this sudden proclamation. The existence of this basin is well documented since the Great Nubian aquifer Project in the late sixties of the last century. There is no doubt that Prof Elbaz is offering his expertise and experience to the Sudanese Government to alleviate the severe water shortage in Northern Darfur which is the main cause of the tribal conflict, but before indulging into such big project, I  would like to highlight the following points:

  1. We completely agree with the fact that the conflict in Darfur is mainly due to shortage of water and degradation of pastures which is being and will continue to exasperate due to drastic effect of Climate Change.
  2. There is no doubt that there is groundwater in the northern area of north Darfur as in all other parts of eastern and southern Darfur where thousands of wells were drilled by the Rural Water Corporation of Sudan in the late sixties and seventies. These wells were drilled for the rural communities who were living with their animal wealth in these areas and started to feel the effect of the Sahel drought.
  3. The discovered lake is an underground water aquifer which was known and reported by several hydrogeologists in Sudan (Salama 1987). It is mainly supplied by Wadi Howar and was considered by Salama (1977) as an alluvial water resource in a paper submitted to the UN Water Conference at Mar del Plata, Argentina (1977) (Groundwater Resources of Sudan Basins). So, it is not a new discovery, although Prof El Baz using new satellite data postulated the shape of the groundwater basin and assumed it to be a lake.
  4. Salama, 1987, postulated that the evolution of the River Nile is through the connection of several Mega lakes in the Sudan Rift Basins which extends from the Southern to Northern Sudan Sudd Lake, White Nile Lake and Gezira Lake and Atbara Lake (http://managedwater.org).
  5. There is also no doubt that a similar basin exists in Southern parts of Egypt which was exploited by drilling of 500 wells as Prof. El Baz mentioned, but there are several major differences between the two basins:
  • The Egyptian basin is very near to the River Nile and to the main populated areas along the River Nile, is easily accessible by paved roads to the main urban areas with all its facilities. It can also be postulated that the aquifers after the extensive pumping which is taking place will be recharged from the River Nile Water.
  • On the other hand, the Northern Darfur groundwater basin is in a very remote area and is not accessible to the major populated centers by paved roads. It is nearer to the Northern Provinces of Sudan, Libya and Egypt than to El-Fasher in Northern Darfur.
  • Even if 1000 wells were drilled in this area, it will be very difficult for the nomads or the sedentary tribes to settle in these centres. What will they be doing, they are not familiar with agriculture practices in this very arid, hot and rainless environment. The more crucial question is how and when the infrastructures for drilling the 1000 wells will be constructed. Afterwards the required services like paved roads, hospitals, schools and other services will cost billions of dollars to be established.
  • The failure of the “The Great Manmade River Project” in Libya, and also the failure of the expanded irrigation projects in the Western Egyptian Oasis (Dakhla and Kharga) should be a lesson for all of us not to hasten into such projects without detailed study. It is easy to drill wells, but what will happen after that is more important. Establishment of agricultural areas in the middle of the desert can be initiated if Oil is discovered in this basin and even then it is doubtful.
  • Instead of drilling 1000 wells in the middle of the desert where the harsh environment is not suitable for agriculture or animal breeding and the groundwater abstraction will be a mining operation as there will never be recharge to this aquifer, these wells can be drilled in Southern and Western Darfur and along the major western alluvial basins of J. Marra where the surface and groundwater resources are more reliable and it will be much easier for the natives to accept.