Hidden Water

Climate change is making the world more water insecure, and many of the greatest impacts are being felt in Africa.

Floods and extended droughts are more common, making river flows and springs less reliable and prone to contamination. However, accessing groundwater radically improves an individual’s water security. Due to its resilience to climate variability more than half the world’s population now uses groundwater and this proportion is increasing every year.

Join Professor Seifu Kebede-Gurmessa University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa and Professor Alan Macdonald Head of Groundwater at the British Geological Survey, to explore the challenges of developing and managing groundwater to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable communities in Africa. The speakers will also discuss how sustainable groundwater is, whether it is safe to drink, and how it can it be developed and managed equitably.

About the speakers

Seifu Kebede-Gurmessa has a BSc in Geology (1994) and MSc in Hydrogeology (1999) both from Addis Ababa University, and a PhD from the University of Avignon, France (2005) in Isotope (tracer) hydrogeology. He was a research assistant and junior lecturer at the School of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia (1994-199) and a Junior Professional Officer at the International Atomic Energy Agency (2005-2006). He became Assistant Professor of Hydrogeology at Addis Ababa University (2007) and Associate Professor of Hydrogeology (2013). He joined the School of Agricultural Earth and Environmental Sciences and Centre of Water Resources Research, University of KwaZulu Natal in September 2019. He is the International Association of Hydrogeologists, Regional Vice President for Sub-Saharan Africa.

His main interests are tracer hydrology and geochemistry for water resources management, surface water – groundwater interaction and water quality. His multifaceted research includes rural water supply, groundwater irrigation, and human health. He is author of more than 50 peer reviewed articles and a Springer Nature book on groundwater in Ethiopia.

Alan MacDonald is head of groundwater at the British Geological Survey leading a group of 30 scientists with research projects in 20 countries. His main area or personal research is in water security, particularly in sub Saharan Africa and South Asia with a focus on poverty reduction. Alan has published several books on groundwater, >130 papers and >100 BGS technical reports. He has led several international research consortia examining the resilience of groundwater to climate change in Africa and Asia, and the continuing functionality of rural water supplies. Much of his research has a development focus, working directly with NGOs such as WaterAid and UNICEF and working directly with government ministries. In the UK the BGS Groundwater group provides authoritative independent information, data and research on groundwater resources, processes and water quality.