Abstract
Abstract. Groundwater plays an important role as a source of water for various socio-economic uses and environmental requirements in the lower Zambezi basin in Mozambique. Hence it is important to know its availability and adequacy in space to inform decision making for sustainable water management practices. For a derivation of a Groundwater Availability map and a Groundwater Adequacy map we adapted the DRASTIC methodology in a GIS environment to determine how different parameters, such as precipitation, topography, soil drainage, land use and vegetation cover, aquifer characteristics and groundwater quality affect (i) groundwater recharge on a long-term sustainable basis, (ii) the short-term abstraction potential and (iii) the long-term adequacy of groundwater utilization for domestic use. Results showed that groundwater availability in the Zambezi basin varies mostly from medium to low, with highest potential along the perennial rivers and in the delta where it plays a crucial role in environmental preservation. The southern margin of the Zambezi River shows low groundwater availability and also presents low adequacy for domestic use due to poor groundwater quality. The results from this study will be used in determining the most promising future development pathways and select the most attractive strategic development plans of the Mozambican government for the Lower Zambezi basin.
Highlights
Groundwater is an essential source of water for various socio-economic uses in the lower Zambezi Basin (World Bank, 2009)
The final step in producing the map indicating groundwater availability was the use of a weighted sum of the “Depth to water table rated map”, the “Recharge rated map”, proc-iahs.net/378/37/2018/
The weights for the categories “Recharge”, “Shortterm abstraction potential”, and “Groundwater quality” were slightly adjusted compared with previous studies in Mozambique (SWECO, 2004 and Plancenter, 2008) due to the inclusion of category “Depth to water table”, which weight was adopted from the DRASTIC method (Aller et al, 1987)
Summary
Groundwater is an essential source of water for various socio-economic uses in the lower Zambezi Basin (World Bank, 2009). Recent trends of intensification of mining activities in the Zambezi valley bring several challenges for groundwater management, related to lowering of groundwater levels and the infiltration of acid and highly mineralized waters (Pondja et al, 2017). It is within this context that it is necessary to evaluate the groundwater potential and the risks associated to its exploitation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
