IGAD WATER UNIT
Agriculture and Environment Division (AED)
Dr Ibrahim Mohamed
Groundwater is the foundation of water security in the IGAD region, particularly in arid and semi-arid zones where surface water is increasingly unreliable. As climate change accelerates, groundwater has become both a lifeline and a point of vulnerability for millions of people. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and land degradation have disrupted natural recharge processes, placing unprecedented pressure on these invisible reserves.
The Growing Threat of Climate Change to Groundwater
Climate change is reshaping the water landscape in the Horn of Africa. It is not only reducing the reliability of rainfall but also altering the timing, intensity, and distribution of precipitation events. This leads to fewer opportunities for recharge, greater evaporation losses, and more frequent contamination of groundwater due to flash flooding and infrastructure failure.
These climate stressors threaten the sustainability of groundwater by accelerating the depletion of aquifers, especially when extraction exceeds recharge. In some areas, falling water tables have already been observed, increasing the cost and complexity of water access. Additionally, rising temperatures are increasing evapotranspiration rates, placing additional stress on vegetation and soil systems that facilitate infiltration.
The impact is particularly severe in the IGAD borderlands, where communities face a convergence of climate vulnerability, water scarcity, and limited-service delivery. Without deliberate climate-informed strategies for groundwater management, these areas risk entering a cycle of deepening water insecurity.
Why Groundwater Is Central to Climate Resilience
Over 80% of all water-dependent activities in the region including agriculture, livestock, human consumption, and industry, rely on groundwater. These sectors are not only essential for economic development, but they are also the backbone of household survival and food security, particularly in the IGAD borderlands. In communities that face recurrent droughts, displacement, and limited access to basic services, groundwater sustains essential daily needs,from drinking water to livestock rearing and small-scale food production,helping vulnerable populations remain rooted and resilient in the face of climate shocks. It supports rural livelihoods, sustains pastoral communities, and serves as a critical buffer in times of drought. Industrial activities, though less widespread, also depend heavily on groundwater, particularly in emerging urban centers where piped surface water is unavailable.
Yet, the systems that replenish this resource, rainfall and infiltration, are being destabilized by climate change. The region is witnessing more frequent dry spells, degraded catchments, and loss of vegetation cover, all of which reduce the amount of water that reaches underground aquifers. Without strategic action, this imbalance between extraction and recharge will intensify, leading to reduced water quality, drying boreholes, and increasing competition over access.
The situation is particularly acute in the borderlands, where over 40 million people live with limited infrastructure and heightened climate vulnerability. Here, groundwater is often the only dependable source of water. For pastoralist communities, it supports livestock mobility and food security. For displaced populations, groundwater ensures access to safe water in emergency settings. Despite its critical importance, governance challenges, weak monitoring systems, and fragmented data continue to hamper sustainable management.
IGAD’s Groundwater Response Framework
To address these threats, IGAD is implementing the Horn of Africa Groundwater for Resilience (HoA-GW4R) initiative with support from the World Bank. This program emphasizes regional cooperation, knowledge generation, and infrastructure investment. Feasibility studies are currently underway for three shared aquifers, Merti, Dawa, Shabelle and Northern Basement Aquifer (NBA) where IGAD is helping countries assess water availability, recharge rates, and priority needs.
These studies are grounded in a people-centered approach, targeting the most vulnerable populations and identifying solutions that can strengthen household and community resilience. IGAD works closely with local governments and national institutions to ensure that strategies reflect ground realities and socio-economic contexts. Proposed infrastructure, including boreholes, earth dams, and water pans,is designed not only to improve access but also to reduce the pressure on overused systems and promote equitable distribution.
A standout feature of the program is its emphasis on joint methodologies. Through Joint Regional Studies (JRS), national consultants from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia are collaborating to harmonize groundwater recharge assessment techniques. These include the Soil Water Balance Method, satellite-based remote sensing, and the use of GRACE satellite data to assess large-scale trends. This standardized approach enhances the comparability of results and supports evidence-based planning.
Groundwater Information System (GWIS): Technology Driving Resilience
At the core of IGAD’s strategy is the Groundwater Information System (GWIS), a regional platform that enables countries to share groundwater data, visualize usage patterns, and strengthen decision-making. GWIS is not just a repository; it is an interactive tool for monitoring climate impacts, assessing recharge trends, and integrating hydrological information with land use and agriculture data.
By integrating vegetation indices like NDVI and evapotranspiration maps, GWIS provides timely insights into agricultural needs and ecosystem health. These tools are critical for both seasonal planning and long-term groundwater sustainability.
To support this, IGAD has also established National Groundwater Centers in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, providing servers, equipment, and technical training to build local capacity. These centers play a crucial role in feeding reliable data into GWIS, ensuring that decision-makers have access to timely and consistent information.
From Shared Aquifers to Shared Responsibility
The case of the Merti Aquifer,shared by Kenya and Somalia,demonstrates the transformative potential of information sharing. Through joint feasibility studies, both countries have gained a common understanding of recharge zones, abstraction levels, and infrastructure needs. IGAD is facilitating the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to guide joint governance of the aquifer. This includes proposals for boreholes, water pans, and monitoring stations that will serve both sides of the border.
These actions are laying the groundwork for broader regional cooperation. Lessons from Merti are already informing strategies for other shared aquifers. The emphasis on transboundary collaboration reflects a simple truth: water knows no borders, and its sustainable management requires trust, data transparency, and shared goals.
A Call for Knowledge, Dialogue, and Action
Climate change is making groundwater more essential and more vulnerable. Sustainable management requires much more than technology or infrastructure. It demands trust between nations, empowered institutions, and informed communities.
Through GWIS, JRS, and regional coordination mechanisms, IGAD is working to build a resilient groundwater future. But success depends on continued investment in capacity building, legal frameworks, and open information exchange. The voices of communities, scientists, and decision-makers must be brought together to ensure that groundwater is protected for generations to come.
Let us act collectively to secure the future of groundwater in the IGAD region,because resilience starts below the surface.
