Spatial Distribution of Groundwater Production and Development Potential in the Volta River basin of Ghana and Burkina Faso

Abstract

In order to evaluate the contribution of continuing groundwater resources development on the improvement of water supply and to assess the impact of increasing abstraction on the overall water budget, the spatial distribution of groundwater production for rural and urban water supply in the Volta River basin in West Africa is quantified and compared to population densities, groundwater recharge, and groundwater potential. Annual groundwater production through boreholes, hand dug wells, and piped systems have increased substantially over past decades and have reached an estimated 88 MCM/y, giving approximately 44 percent of the population improved access to groundwater. Seventy percent of the groundwater production is delivered by boreholes equipped with hand pumps. Despite the rapid development, groundwater production is still less than 5 percent of the average annual groundwater recharge in most of the basin, so that the present production should not be expected to have any significant impact on the regional water balance. In the face of water scarcity still prevailing in the Volta River basin, further development of groundwater resources is desirable. The assessment of groundwater recharge and development suggests that it would be sustainable from a geo-scientific point of view, at least in the foreseeable future.