Groundwater resource sustainability in the Nabogo Basin of Ghana

Abstract

In order to address groundwater resource sustainability, a conceptual groundwater flow model is developed for a hydrographic basin of northern Ghana. A three-dimensional steady-state model is applied to the Nabogo Basin, a sub-catchment of the White Volta River Basin. Mean annual data are used for input parameters. Parameters include rates of precipitation, recharge, surface water discharge, and groundwater extraction (pumpage). The model indicates that current well pumpage rates are significantly less than annual groundwater recharge to the basin. Model results for several scenarios tested (i.e., increased population, access to potable water for all citizens, and/or decreased rainfall) indicate that extraction rates will still be less than groundwater input to the basin.