Abstract
Somalia and Ethiopia, two countries of the Horn of Africa, are among the world’s poorest when it comes to natural and water resources. Karst aquifers in the eastern part of Ethiopia and northern and south-western parts of Somalia are important local sources of water. They are formed in Jurassic limestones and carbonate and evaporitic rocks of the Eocene age; both are of the platform type and have resulted from the Tethys Sea regression. A Jurassic aquifer provides more fresh water than those from the Eocene and is utilised at several locations. The main consumers are the cities Borama in Somalia and Jijiga in Ethiopia, and water is tapped out in both by the use of well fields. Although limited in extension and groundwater storage, this aquifer can be further developed at many locations, especially those where it is linked to overlying alluviums. Constructing underground dams across river beds of many present temporary streams and storing the water in the upstream alluvium’s sections may also contribute to larger and longer recharge of Jurassic aquifers.
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Stevanović, Z., Kebede, S. (2020). Jurassic Carbonate Aquifer—The Most Valuable Fresh Water Resource at the Horn of Africa. In: Bertrand, C., Denimal, S., Steinmann, M., Renard, P. (eds) Eurokarst 2018, Besançon. Advances in Karst Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14015-1_24
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