Sustainable development of groundwater resources in many developing nations like Nigeria is hampered by paucity of information about the resource. Geospatial technology has provided useful information in understanding the distribution of groundwater throughout the world for the purpose of planning, exploration, monitoring and conservation. Numerous studies have integrated remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) in the assessment of groundwater potential in different parts of Nigeria. This paper therefore aims to review the literatures and reveal the successes and most importantly the challenges faced by such studies and provide useful recommendations for improvement in future research. A global perspective of advances in the application of geospatial technology to groundwater mapping was first captured from where the strength and weaknesses of the same application in Nigeria in terms of methodology of data extraction, modelling and validation were assessed. The review shows that less than 20 bibliographies are available with about 50% from the south-western part of the country. Few parameters controlling groundwater are often analysed and categorised without any standard. Most models are produced from software packages that do not allow weighting of thematic layers hence cannot incorporate expert judgements. Areas needing urgent attention for improvement include: time of remote sensing data acquisition, methods of parameter extractions, standard GIS software packages used, novel models and comparison between models and the need for model and map validations. Recommendations on country wide coverage of groundwater potential assessment, provision of groundwater monitoring facilities and strict adherence to groundwater development standards were also made.
In some parts of tropical Africa, termite mound locations are traditionally used to site groundwater structures mainly in the form of hand-dug wells with high success rates. However, the scientific rationale behind the use of mounds as prospective sites for locating groundwater structures has not been thoroughly investigated. In this paper, locations and structural features of termite mounds were mapped with the aim of determining the aquifer potential beneath termite mounds and comparing the same with adjacent areas, 10 m away. Soil and species sampling, field surveys and laboratory analyses to obtain data on physical, hydraulic and geo-electrical parameters from termite mounds and adjacent control areas followed. The physical and hydraulic measurements demonstrated relatively higher infiltration rates and lower soil water content on mound soils compared with the surrounding areas. To assess the aquifer potential, vertical electrical soundings were conducted on 28 termite mounds sites and adjacent control areas. Three (3) important parameters were assessed to compute potential weights for each Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) point: Depth to bedrock, aquifer layer resistivity and fresh/fractured bedrock resistivity. These weights were then compared between those of termite mound sites and those from control areas. The result revealed that about 43% of mound sites have greater aquifer potential compared to the surrounding areas, whereas 28.5% of mounds have equal and lower potentials compared with the surrounding areas. The study concludes that termite mounds locations are suitable spots for groundwater prospecting owing to the deeper regolith layer beneath them which suggests that termites either have the ability to locate places with a deeper weathering horizon or are themselves agents of biological weathering. Further studies to check how representative our study area is of other areas with similar termite activities are recommended.
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