Groundwater and conflict in the horn of Africa

The horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Dijbouti, and Eritrea) is one of the most complex and conflicted regions of the world. It devastated by conflict and suffering from the most severe droughts in living memory. Over 6 million people are in need of assistance, and about 3 million are threatened with famine. In April 2017, WHO estimated that more than 25,000 people have been struck by cholera or acute watery diarrhoea and rising quickly. About half a million Somalis have been displaced internally, many of which are in search of water. Some 3 million pastoralists have lost 70% of livestock as a result of the drought.

These issues are not only a humanitarian disaster, they are also likely triggers of conflict. This is particularly relevant in regions with a weak institutional structure such as Somalia. These conflicts increase further the human toll of the drought, but also hinder humanitarian interventions. It is therefore paramount to understand the relation between the groundwater drought and conflict in the area. This quest is complicated by the acute scarcity of hydrological information in the region.

New technologies such as robust sensors, data processing, and transmission technologies make it possible to develop low-cost water level sensors to monitor water resources. In previous research, the hydrology group at Imperial College London has developed a low-cost sensor to monitor hand-dug wells in Somalia at very high temporal resolution. The data provide unique dataset about groundwater availability in this region, but also make it possible to monitor water use and its spatiotemporal dynamics at fine resolution.
This project is a collaboration between Imperial College London and the NGO Concern Worldwide. A recent seed funding project allowed us to develop tailored sensors for well monitoring in the region, and to install and test the sensors successfully. This PhD project intends to bring this collaboration to a next level, and to study the broader context and relation between drought and conflict in the horn of Africa based on the generated data.

The project will focus on the development of a regional groundwater model by integrating the sensor data and high-resolution hydrogeological maps for the region. Subsequently, a socio-hydrological model will be developed based on the information on water use generated by the sensors, and a broader set of socio-economic data from UN and similar sources.
The final aim is to combine the water availability and demand models and implement them in a broader social analysis framework to gain a quantitative understanding of how drought triggers conflict.

To be considered for the studentship, please first check your eligibility (see ‘Funding Notes’), and submit a CV including degree result and, if possible, class ranking, a cover letter highlighting your relevant background and experience, and names and contact details of two referees to [Email Address Removed].

Interviews will be held via Skype on Monday 26th March
Important
Do not apply via Imperial College’s online application system before having contacted Dr Buytaert and discussed your application.