Groundwater Assessment for Current and Future Water Demand in the Daka Catchment, Northern Region, Ghana

• Published in: Natural resources research (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 355 - 365
• Main Authors: Ewusi, Anthony, Kuma, Jerry S. Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-12-2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquifers; Average flow; Boreholes; Catchments; Chemistry and Earth Sciences; Computer Science; Demand; Domestic; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Fossil Fuels (incl. Carbon Capture); Freshwater; Geography; Groundwater; Groundwater availability; Groundwater potential; Groundwater quality; Mathematical Modeling and Industrial Mathematics; Metallic and non-metallic deposits; Mineral Resources; Optimization; Physics; Regolith; Statistics for Engineering; Surface water; Sustainable Development; Water demand; Water quality; Water resources; Waterborne diseases; Ghana; Guinea; West Africa; Africa; Daka catchment; Groundwater assessment; water demand; Ghana; rivers; regolith; worms; projects; ground water; surface water; drainage basins; currents; boreholes; water resources; aquifers; water quality; Invertebrata; populations; flow
• ISSN: 1520-7439; 1573-8981
• DOI: 10.1007/s11053-014-9227-y

The use of untreated surface water for domestic purposes has resulted in the infection of some people by guinea worm and other water borne diseases in the Northern Region of Ghana. The aim of this study is to assess the current groundwater quantity and quality conditions in the 7,820 km
2
Daka catchment and project the water demand in 2025. Results of groundwater analyses generally show good water quality for domestic use. Borehole analyses indicate that the catchment’s groundwater system can be characterized by a regolith aquifer underlain by a deeper fractured rock aquifer in some areas. The current per capita water demand is estimated at 40 l/day although 60 l/day is the desired amount, indicating that with the current population of 363,350, the projected water demand for the communities is 21,800 m
3
/day. With a projected population of 555,500 in 2025, an expected 33,300 m
3
/day of water is required. The estimated optimum potential groundwater available for use in the catchment is 154 × 10
6
 m
3
/year (4.24 × 10
5
 m
3
/day). However, the current total groundwater abstraction is only 8,876 m
3
/day or 2% of the optimum. In comparison, the projected total current and 2025 water demands are only 5 and 8%, respectively, of the optimum potential groundwater available for use in the catchment. In addition, only 1,780 m
3
/day (0.65 × 10
6
 m
3
/year) or 0.06% of the average annual flow of 1,016 × 10
6
 m
3
/year of the Daka River is treated for domestic use. These figures reveal that a significantly very large water resource potential exists for both surface and groundwater development in the Daka catchment. It is suggested that their development should proceed conjunctively.