Abstract
Combined geophysical and hydrogeological investigations were carried out to evaluate the groundwater potential in part of Eastern Sudan. From the interpretations, two major basins were identified: Wad Elhelew and Showak basins. The first is a NNE-SSW trending basin with maximum thickness of 2.2 km. The other is a shallower basin with a maximum thickness not exceeding 0.25 km. Within these basins groundwater occurs essentially in two major aquifers: the Nubian aquifer and Neogene-Recent deposits.
Quantitative assessment of groundwater volumes in Showak-Wad Elhelew area gives storage capacity for the upper zone of the Nubian aquifer as 4000 million m
3 and 8000 million m
3 for the lower zone. The safe yield is estimated to be 40 million m
3. Showak basin has a storage capacity of 840 million m
3 and a safe yield of 8.4 million m
3. The storage capacity of the Neogene-Recent deposits is estimated at 112 million m
3, one kilometer away from the banks of Setit and Atbara Rivers and a safe yield of 11.2 million m
3.