The Nubian Project

Objective 1: Identify priority transboundary threats and root causes

Countries will prepare and agree on a ‘Shared Aquifer Diagnostic Analysis (SADA)’ that jointly identifies, understands and reaches agreement on priority issues, threats and their root causes in the NSAS.

This is basically a probing of the past to better see the future, mainly through scientific and technical ‘detective work’. Understanding cause and effect relationships is a priority. The fact-finding analysis will emphasize transboundary and cross-sectoral issues while national concerns will also be accounted for.

As a comprehensive assessment of the aquifer’s resources, it will look beyond water issues to linkages with agricultural policies, the conservation and management of biodiversity resources, sustainable land management practices, water demand and adaptation to climate change.

This assessment is to be carried out objectively, and not ‘negotiated’, by experts, scientists and key stakeholders in the region, from private water users to local communities.

The SADA is based on the GEF Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) methodology, a cornerstone of GEF International Waters projects which has, to date, been utilized to better understand surface water bodies such as river basins and seas. Groundwater, however, is a relatively new field for GEF with few precedents, so developing the NSAS SADA will venture into uncharted territory. In response, an ‘adaptive’ approach will be used here by the project. Project staff on the ground will also be trained in how best to develop a TDA and SADA using existing lessons learned globally.

The SADA will also include a detailed ‘governance analysis’ (i.e. institutional analysis) preceded by a full stakeholder consultation.

Each country will have its own national SADA meeting with relevant stakeholders (e.g. NGOs, experts, interest groups, academics), the results of which will be integrated into one NSAS SADA report at a later regional meeting. This will take about 16 months.

Threats, risks and their root causes will in the end be prioritized in terms of importance, to be used as the basis in the third step for identifying appropriate responses, measures and reforms.