An IAEA project shows that significant reserves of good quality water are available in Africa's drought-prone Sahel region. Pollution is still limited and has not yet become a serious threat to these vital resources. The findings, compiled in five reports published today, are the result of a four-year Agency effort to help 13 countries use isotopic techniques to assess groundwater origin and quality in five shared aquifers and basins, providing the first broad overview of the region's groundwater supplies. Niger is one of these countries.