Abstract
The industrialization process taking place in Africa has led to an overall increase in groundwater abstraction in most countries in the continent. However, the lack of hydrogeological data, as in many developing countries, makes it difficult to properly manage groundwater systems. This study presents a real case study in which a combination of different hydrogeological tools together with different sources of information allow the assessment of how increased competition for water may be affecting groundwater systems by analysing the sustainability of new abstraction regimes under different real climatic condition (before, during and after La Niña 2016). The area where this approach has been applied is Kwale County (in Coastal Kenya) in a hydrogeological context representative of an important part of the east coast of the continent, where new mining and agriculture activities co-exist with tourism and local communities. The results show that the lack of aquifer systems data can be overcome, at least partly, by integrating different sources of information. Most of the time, water-reliant users collect specific hydrogeological information that can contribute to defining the overall hydrogeological system, since their own main purpose is to exploit the aquifer with the maximum productivity. Therefore, local community water usage, together with different stakeholder's knowledge and good corporate water management act as a catalyst for providing critical data, and allows the generation of credible models for future groundwater management and resource allocation. Furthermore, complementary but simple information sources such as in situ interviews, Google Earth, Trip Advisor and easy-to use analytical methods that can be applied in the African context as in many developing countries, and enables groundwater abstraction to be estimated and the sustainability of the aquifer system to be defined, allowing potential future risks to be assessed.
Highlights
The exploitation of groundwater generates different types of negative externalities (Giannoccaro et al, 2017): (i) reduced availability of the resource for other current or future uses; (ii) increase in extraction costs; (iii) possible risk of water quality degradation; and (iv) damage to groundwater dependent ecosystems
The increased abstraction is poorly compatible with the sustainable use of coastal aquifers where there is a high population density and where tourism is concentrated (Dhar and Datta, 2009; Mantoglou, 2003; Okello et al, 2015), since the use of coastal groundwater is compromised by salinization (Michael et al, 2017)
Lack of historical data such as water level, abstraction and quality data is typically the norm and challenge objective decision-making in the face of urgent development priorities
Summary
The exploitation of groundwater generates different types of negative externalities (Giannoccaro et al, 2017): (i) reduced availability of the resource for other current or future uses; (ii) increase in extraction costs; (iii) possible risk of water quality degradation; and (iv) damage to groundwater dependent ecosystems. If the exploitation of groundwater occurs close to the coastline, other negative externalities and costs are generated: (i) reduced groundwater supply due to enhanced corrosion and well failure; (ii) health problems, (iii) negative effects on agriculture, since crop, land quality and cropping area potentially decline (SASMIE, 2017). Aquifer recharge reduction caused by climate change is an important factor in aquifer salinization (Oiro and Comte, 2019). Many coastal aquifers in the world are currently experiencing intensive saltwater intrusion (SWI) caused by both natural and man-induced processes (Custodio, 2010; De Filippis et al, 2016a, 2016b; SASMIE, 2017; Werner et al, 2013)
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