Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System

[1] NSAS covers a land area spanning just over 2 million km2, including north-western Sudan, north-eastern Chad, south-eastern Libya, and most of Egypt.

[citation needed] Since 2001, the Nubian Sandstone aquifer situated between the Toshka and Abu Simbel areas of Egypt has undergone intensive drilling and development as part of a land reclamation project.

High concentrations of sodium, chloride, and sulfates reflect the leaching and dissolution processes of gypsiferous shales and clay, in addition to a lengthy duration of water residence.

[5] Since 2006, the International Atomic Energy Agency has been working in cooperation with the four NSAS countries to help increase understanding of the aquifer's complexities through the IAEA-UNDP-GEF Nubian Project.

The project's long-term goal is establishing rational and equitable management of the NSAS as a productive way of advancing socio-economic development in the region and protecting biodiversity and land resources.

The transport of pipe segments for the Great Man-Made River (GMMR) in the Sahara desert, Libya , during the 1980s. A network of pipes that supplies water from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, a fossil aquifer in the Sahara desert of Libya, the GMMR is the world's largest irrigation project.
Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System