"To still have water, that is the dream": Exploring a Transition to Sustainable Groundwater Management in Aweil East, South Sudan

Abstract: This thesis discusses institutional sustainability and transitions to sustainable development. These concepts are explored through a qualitative case study on rural groundwater management institutions in Aweil East, South Sudan. The primary question guiding the discussion is how a transition towards sustainable development is reflected in this particular case. The secondary questions supporting the discussion are, firstly, to what extent are the groundwater institutions sustainable and secondly, what are the barriers of sustainable groundwater management. Qualitative fieldwork took place in multiple locations in Aweil East county in the South Sudanese state of Northern Bahr el Ghazal through individual and group interviews with communities, organizations and government officials. The findings suggest that in spite of the barriers, including the dependency on organizations due to lack of community ownership and government capacity, a transition towards sustainable development was happening at the time of the study. Also, it was found that the groundwater institutions were quite fragile and in an early stage of transition. Based on this, the thesis highlights the importance of understanding a transition in order to adjust strategies for managing institutions. Furthermore, it opens discussion on how to assess a transition and what aspects still needs to be developed.