ABSTRACT
Located in the Horn of Africa where the separation of several tectonics plates occurs, the Republic of Djibouti has an arid climate. The country continuously has to face difficulties in its water supply which is 95% derived from groundwater. 29.4 million m3 per year are produced from volcanic and sedimentary aquifers of which 5.7% is used by the rural population and for cattle farming, 42.5% for irrigation and 51.7% for urban areas. Given the problems of falling water tables, water quality degradation and high TDS contents, alternative solutions have been used, i.e., surface water and desalination of high TDS-content aquifers. Nevertheless, the projected economic development programmes and population growth will continue to increase groundwater demand over the next ten years. Future water requirements, estimated for 2010 and 2015, amount to 41 and 51 million m3/y. The production rate increase for 1977–2005 was between 0.55 and 0.7 million m3/y. To fulfil the demands for water over the next ten years, the production rate increase must reach 2.17 million m3/y, three times more than the present production rate increase. The new phase of groundwater resource development must inevitably be followed by management and protection of the aquifer systems and not just the search for new groundwater resources.
