Abstract
Ghadames basin is one of the important groundwater basins in Libya. This basin covers an area of about 215,000 km2 in northwestern Libya. This groundwater basin consists of two major aquifer systems. The upper aquifer system mostly formed of carbonate rocks (Mizdah and Nalut formations). The lower aquifer system formed mostly of sandstone known as Kiklah formation. The two aquifer systems are separated by semi-confining layers known as Yefren marl. The lower aquifer system is considered as the main aquifer for water supply. The water resource (mostly from the lower aquifer system) in these systems is used for domestic, irrigation and fodder drinking. The domestic use of water is to supply water to the cities and towns in western part of the country and in the northern flanks of the basin, and plans to transport water to the coastal cities in northwestern part of the country. The existing total amount of extracted water is 132 Mm3/year, and about 20% of it used for domestic uses. The planned water extraction is 223.8 Mm3/year about 55% of it will be used for domestic uses. The hydrogeological situation for this basin has been studied in this study using data from previous hydrogeological exploration programs, evaluation of the data from the existing extraction and observation water wells, pumping tests data used to evaluate aquifers hydraulic parameters, and construction of hydrogeological cross-sections to know the aquifer systems geometry. Hydogeological computer model was constructed to evaluate the aquifer hydraulic parameters using the historical water extraction, and water levels and drawdowns. The model is then used to predict the future drawdown which has been found to be in the range 55 to 60 m after 50 years of extraction.
Highlights
The Ghadamis Basin is located in the northwestern part of Libya
The planned water extraction is 223.8 Mm3/year about 55% of it will be used for domestic uses
From this study it can be concluded that Ghadamis Basin is considered as a major groundwater basin in northwestern Libya with an area of about 215,000 km2
Summary
The Ghadamis Basin is located in the northwestern part of Libya. Its area is about. This study is aimed to evaluate the groundwater in Kiklah aquifer in Ghadamis Basin using the available information and exploitation requirements. Mean temperature ranges between 20 ̊C and 30 ̊C. Maximum temperature can be over 49 ̊C in some places in July and August [1]. The basin receives moderate rainfall in the north, along the southern slopes of Jabal Nafusah. The average annual precipitation is about 100 - 300 mm in the Jabal Nafusah area and rapidly decreases towards the south to about 33 mm. The average annual potential evaporation computed by various methods is estimated to be about 1700 - 2200 mm in the Northern parts of the study area and between 2000 and 2700 mm in the southern par [2]
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