The Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System Authority (NSAS) held a meeting in Cairo last week to support technical efforts at preparing the document for the project: “Enabling implementation of the Strategic Action Program (SAP) for the rational and equitable management of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System”. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the proposal by UNESCO together with the countries that share the aquifer to be submitted to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Representatives of the member States in the joint committee for the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System: Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Chad, participated in the meeting which was also attended by national experts, representatives of UNESCO in Cairo, and Dr Shaminder Puri, Secretary-General of the International Association of Hydrogeologists.
Muhammed Abdel-Muttaleb, President of the National Centre for Water Research in Cairo opened the meeting. He talked about its importance, since it allows member States to put in any additional individual demands before preparing the final project document for the next meeting in Khartoum next September in which the final document should be approved.
On the sideline of the meeting, the Board of Directors of the Joint Nubian Sandstone Aquifer Authority convened to prepare for the 25-year celebration on the establishment of the authority. The celebration is scheduled in Khartoum from 5 to 7 December.
The NSAS is one of the largest aquifers in the world and spans approximately 2 million square kilometres across Libya, Egypt, Chad and Sudan.
The Joint Authority Agreement created a Joint Authority for the Study and Development of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer Waters headquartered in Tripoli, Libya. The Joint Authority Agreement, under Article 24, also provides that the Joint Authority shall have a corporate body with the relevant rights, and that internal administrative and financial regulations shall be created and issued by a Board of Directors. The Member States of the Joint Authority are Egypt, Libya, Sudan (since 1996), and Chad (since 1999).