Although the prognosis for the lifespan of the NSAS is a positive one, there are many reasons for the governments of the Nubian States to take care and not overuse this precious resource found in a now arid desert. Saudi Arabia, although obviously not in Africa, is a country that I found to have one of the most unsustainable water-use policies anywhere in the world. With almost all of their once-plentiful water supplies gone, I could not believe a country could be so misinformed or so greedy that they consume without any consideration for their future. Although it is hard to believe a country could do this, Saudi Arabia followed a very similar path to one that Libya is now going down today. Countries in Africa that rely on aquifers for water need to take head and learn from what happened in Saudi Arabia so as to make sure history does not repeat itself.
In the case of Saudi Arabia, their groundwater supply was considered one of the largest aquifer systems in the world - it contained as much water as Lake Erie in the US.14 Over the years however, the water that had always been so easily found began to dry up. Finding water required continual digging until drilling over a mile deep was needed. A research paper by Ehadj (2004), stated that in 2004, the Saudi’s ‘fossil water’ was near gone and down to four fifths of what it was originally. "The water reserves that transformed the barren desert into rich irrigated fields, making Saudi Arabia the world’s sixth-largest exporter of wheat," are drying up and an agricultural disaster is fast looming if another source of water can not be found.
There are three reasons why this case study affects the Nubian states and should influence future planning for the NSAS. Firstly, Saudi Arabia's lack of water may cause conflicts with parts of Northern Africa as the Saudis look to find an alternative source of water. The nearest and most obvious supplies of water are from the Nile and from the NSAS, placing further strain on an already depleting and over used water supply. Secondly, as countries look further afield for alternative water supplies the NSAS could become an option for countries all around the world. This could also drastically change its future path while predictions on the longevity of current extraction would be void. Finally, without clear guidelines and quotas for extraction, water is being drained at unprecedented rates for large scale farming and irrigation projects. If governmental intervention and cooperation between Nubian states does not progress, the NSAS could find itself depleted, and following a similar fate to Saudi Arabia’s aquifers.
In the case of Saudi Arabia, their groundwater supply was considered one of the largest aquifer systems in the world - it contained as much water as Lake Erie in the US.14 Over the years however, the water that had always been so easily found began to dry up. Finding water required continual digging until drilling over a mile deep was needed. A research paper by Ehadj (2004), stated that in 2004, the Saudi’s ‘fossil water’ was near gone and down to four fifths of what it was originally. "The water reserves that transformed the barren desert into rich irrigated fields, making Saudi Arabia the world’s sixth-largest exporter of wheat," are drying up and an agricultural disaster is fast looming if another source of water can not be found.
There are three reasons why this case study affects the Nubian states and should influence future planning for the NSAS. Firstly, Saudi Arabia's lack of water may cause conflicts with parts of Northern Africa as the Saudis look to find an alternative source of water. The nearest and most obvious supplies of water are from the Nile and from the NSAS, placing further strain on an already depleting and over used water supply. Secondly, as countries look further afield for alternative water supplies the NSAS could become an option for countries all around the world. This could also drastically change its future path while predictions on the longevity of current extraction would be void. Finally, without clear guidelines and quotas for extraction, water is being drained at unprecedented rates for large scale farming and irrigation projects. If governmental intervention and cooperation between Nubian states does not progress, the NSAS could find itself depleted, and following a similar fate to Saudi Arabia’s aquifers.
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