Introduction/Project Description
The HoA -Groundwater for Resilience (HoA-GW4R) targets the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region. It is home to a rapidly growing population of over 251 million people. Most of the population is poor and relies on rainfed agriculture and for its livelihood, in a climate characterized by irregular and unpredictable short rainy seasons and recurrent droughts. In this regard, the IGAD region is not homogeneous in terms of hydro-climatology. Rainfall is concentrated in the Ethiopian highlands and along the south-western border of the region (southern Sudan, South-Sudan and Uganda), while the climate in the northern, eastern and south-eastern parts of the region is characterized by low rainfall and high potential evapotranspiration. A great part of the region is composed of arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), in which around 30% of the total population is found.
Groundwater is the largest water resource in these areas, if not the only one available, having the greatest potential for providing water security and socio-economic benefits. Adding to this average low water availability, the region has been affected by longer dry periods since the second half of the 20th century until now, suffering several episodes of catastrophic and intense drought, and is now affected by increasing inter-annual variation in the length of the rainy season.
