Baro-Akobo-Sobat Watershed Management Programme

Baro-Akoba-Sobat (BAS) sub-basin has an area of 230,293 km² covering parts of Ethiopia, South Sudan and Sudan. The Baro and Akobo Rivers originate in southwestern Ethiopia and flow northwest wards into South Sudan before merging to form the Sobat and eventually the Pibor Rivers which then pour into the White Nile. The BAS Sub-basin borders the lower White Nile Sub-basin to the north. The sub-basin faces several challenges that include poverty, population pressure, deforestation, watershed degradation, soil erosion, river siltation, conflicts between and amongst pastoralists and farmers, and wetland pollution at oil fields. The Sub-basin also has inadequate water resources data and information to support water resources monitoring and development.

The project was one of several priority projects identified by the Eastern Nile states under the Eastern Nile Multi-Sectoral Investment Opportunity Analysis (MSIOA).  

Baro-Akoba-Sobat (BAS) sub-basin has an area of 230,293 km² covering parts of Ethiopia, South Sudan and Sudan. The Baro and Akobo Rivers originate in southwestern Ethiopia and flow northwest wards into South Sudan before merging to form the Sobat and eventually the Pibor Rivers which then pour into the White Nile. The BAS Sub-basin borders the lower White Nile Sub-basin to the north. The sub-basin faces several challenges that include poverty, population pressure, deforestation, watershed degradation, soil erosion, river siltation, conflicts between and amongst pastoralists and farmers, and wetland pollution at oil fields. The Sub-basin also has inadequate water resources data and information to support water resources monitoring and development.

The project was one of several priority projects identified by the Eastern Nile states under the Eastern Nile Multi-Sectoral Investment Opportunity Analysis (MSIOA). The project identification and prefeasibility studies were completed in 2015 with funding from the World Bank under the Nile Cooperation for Results Project (NCORE).