Sustainable Groundwater Exploitation under Natural Conditions in Southwest Ghana

Groundwater has been recognised as the most cost-effective option of safe water supply to rural communities in Ghana. The demand for potable water has led to the drilling of a large number of boreholes in many parts of the country. To establish the threshold of groundwater development from storage in a major river catchment (Pra River) in South-West Ghana, studies on recharge to the weathered aquifer and statistical evaluations of specific capacity and potential yield have been carried out. The SACSMA conceptual hydrological modelling system was used for the recharge estimate. With recharge rate of 50 mm/yr, the natural groundwater resources in the basin was estimated to support a maximum withdrawal of 12 l/s for a 10 hour per day pumping. The groundwater resources potential of 1.6 l/sｋ㎡ could be considered the threshold of groundwater exploitation in similar river basins in South-West Ghana. A study into the relation between permeability and recharge under different conditions and scenarios is required to define their limiting role in groundwater resources development.