Delineation of Groundwater Potential and the Susceptibility to Surface Contaminants

Abstract

Groundwater remains an essential natural resource that is found in every part of the Earth’s subsurface. However, the high level of borehole failures due to inadequate subsurface information about the regional hydrogeological nature has led to significant water scarcity in both rural and semi-urban regions. This study applies the vertical electrical sounding method to delineate regional aquifer potential alongside the vulnerability to the agrochemical activities in a rapidly emerging agricultural development at Kujama Farmland for groundwater development. Information obtained was used to construct the soil depth section and the groundwater potential as well as its protective capacity. The depth section shows that the study area is underlain by four distinctive geo-electric layers. The weathered/fractured unit was delineated as the water-bearing unit of the study area for groundwater development. The aquifer parameters such as resistivity and depth values vary between 21 Ωm – 328 Ωm and 19 m – 42 m, respectively. However, the observed thick aquifer with low resistivity values was considered as the region of the rich aquifer and it could supply sustainable water for drinking, domestic use and irrigation. Consequently, the siting of industrial/public/domestic boreholes should sunk to at least a depth of 30/20/10m respectively. On the other hand, the computed aquifer parameters show that the study is considered 75% highly protective, 22% moderately protective and 2% weakly protective from the possible surface contaminants emanating from the emerging agricultural activities at Kujama Multipurpose Farmland.