Impacts on groundwater quality and water supply of the Epworth semi-formal settlement, Zimbabwe

2005 ◽  
pp. 117-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Love ◽  
E. Zingoni ◽  
P. Gandidzanwa ◽  
C. Magadza ◽  
K. Musiwa
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Groundwater Quality

Optimisation of water extraction considering water demands of water supply, agriculture and ecology

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-295
Author(s):  
M. Emmert ◽  
A. Schneck
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Flow Model ◽  
Groundwater Flow Model ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Intensive Farming ◽  
Water Demands ◽  
Natural Parks ◽  
Joint Research Project

For drinking water supply in the Donauried area (52 km2) approximately 950 l/s groundwater are abstracted from 6 catchment plants with 220 wells. In the Donauried also intensive farming and several natural parks with valuable but drained lower moors are located so that many conflicts have arisen around the water. In a joint research project the goal is to manage the 6 plants' water demands, hydrology and season to achieve a water-optimum for each party. That is to have enough water for water supply, to guarantee farming without affecting groundwater quality and to rewet the lower moors. This task is solved by developing an optimisation algorithm that is based on a numerical groundwater flow model taking into account the water demands of all parties.

scholarly journals Use of Heavy Metal Content and Modified Water Quality Index to Assess Groundwater Quality in a Semiarid Area

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Maskooni ◽  
Mehran Naseri-Rad ◽  
Ronny Berndtsson ◽  
Kei Nakagawa
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Metal Content ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Heavy Metal Content ◽  
Entropy Weighted

Groundwater is a major source of drinking and agricultural water supply in arid and semiarid regions. Poor groundwater quality can be a threat to human health especially when it is combined with hazardous pollutants like heavy metals. In this study, an innovative method involving entropy weighted groundwater quality index for both physicochemical and heavy metal content was used for a semiarid region. The entropy weighted index was used to assess the groundwater’s suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes. Thus, groundwater from 19 sampling sites was used for analyses of physicochemical properties (electrical conductivity—EC, pH, K+, Ca2+, Na+, SO42−, Cl−, HCO3−, TDS, NO3−, F−, biochemical oxygen demand—BOD, dissolved oxygen—DO, and chemical oxygen demand—COD) and heavy metal content (As, Ca, Sb, Se, Zn, Cu, Ba, Mn, and Cr). To evaluate the overall pollution status in the region, heavy metal indices such as the modified heavy metal pollution index (m-HPI), heavy metal evaluation index (HEI), Nemerow index (NeI), and ecological risks of heavy metals (ERI) were calculated and compared. The results showed that Cd concentration plays a significant role in negatively affecting the groundwater quality. Thus, three wells were classified as poor water quality and not acceptable for drinking water supply. The maximum concentration of heavy metals such as Cd, Se, and Sb was higher than permissible limits by the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. However, all wells except one were suitable for agricultural purposes. The advantage of the innovative entropy weighted groundwater quality index for both physicochemical and heavy metal content, is that it permits objectivity when selecting the weights and reduces the error that may be caused by subjectivity. Thus, the new index can be used by groundwater managers and policymakers to better decide the water’s suitability for consumption.

scholarly journals Paleo-Geohydrology of Lake Chilwa, Malawi is the Source of Localised Groundwater Salinity and Rural Water Supply Challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (19) ◽  
pp. 6909
Author(s):  
Michael O. Rivett ◽  
Shona Symon ◽  
Lucas Jacobs ◽  
Limbikani C. Banda ◽  
Gift J. Wanangwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Groundwater Salinity ◽  
Rural Water Supply ◽  
Rural Water ◽  
Lake Chilwa ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal 6 ◽  
High Level

Meeting long-term rural community water supply needs requires diligent geohydrological conceptualisation. Study of Malawi’s Lake Chilwa Basin, including sampling of 330 water points in Phalombe District, enabled assessment of groundwater quality influence upon supply. The control of larger Lake Chilwa paleo-environments on current Basin groundwater quality is demonstrated. Lacustrine sediment deposition forming high-level deposits under open lake conditions and terrace deposits under open and closed lake conditions significantly control the groundwater major-ion quality and salinity now observed. Paleo-lake extent marks the transition between low-TDS (total dissolved solids) groundwater suitable for water supply at higher elevations and high-TDS brackish groundwater in areas overlain by lacustrine deposits closer to the current lake level. Low-TDS groundwater is limited to mid-to-low reach influent leakage of rivers incising terraces. Permeable fluvial deposits within the deeper paleo-river channel may possibly provide low-TDS water. The conceptual model, whereby paleo-lake controls groundwater salinity, provides science-based evidence to address policy to manage the significant water point functionality concerns quantified at the district and river basin scales. Targeting of the low-TDS groundwater alongside improved use of upland low-TDS stream/river sources with fewer, but larger capacity, and better maintained gravity-fed supply schemes are recommended. This study hence shows the value of paleo-geohydrology interpretation of the lake–groundwater system conceptualisation to inform Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6.5.1)—integrated water resources management policy for rural water supply.

scholarly journals Assessing Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Models for Predicting Groundwater Quality in a River Basin of South India

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6719
Author(s):  
M. Annie Jenifer ◽  
Madan Kumar Jha ◽  
Amina Khatun
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Unit Weight ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Ahp Model ◽  
Thematic Layers ◽  
Hierarchy Process

India is the largest consumer of groundwater in the world, and it suffers from a groundwater crisis due to the overexploitation of groundwater and the deterioration of its quality at an alarming rate. Rapid urbanization, a growing population, and mismanagement are major driving forces behind these groundwater issues. Thus, increasing problems of water scarcity and water-quality deterioration threaten the sustainability of the water supply. This necessitates the development of novel approaches to assess prevailing groundwater quality scenarios at a large scale, which can help protect this vital freshwater resource from contamination. In this study, for the first time, the effectiveness of three Geographical Information System (GIS)-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) models (i.e., ‘Unit Weight’, ‘Rank Sum’, and ‘Analytic Hierarchy Process’) was explored for predicting groundwater quality in a river basin of Southern India. The seasonal concentrations of groundwater quality parameters, viz., Cl−, TDS, TH, F−, NO3−-N, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, and SO42−, were considered for generating their thematic layers. Each thematic layer was classified into suitable feature classes based on the WHO guidelines for drinking water. The thematic layers and the feature classes of individual groundwater quality parameters were assigned relative weights according to the theories of the three MCDA models mentioned above. These thematic layers were then aggregated in GIS to develop Groundwater Quality Index (GQI) maps of the study area for pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Furthermore, the accuracy of the developed GQI maps was validated using relative operating characteristic curves. The results of the validation indicated that the GIS-based Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) model outperformed with prediction accuracies of 71.4% in the pre-monsoon season and about 85% in the post-monsoon season. However, the performances of the Unit Weight and Rank Sum models were found to be average with prediction accuracies varying from 68% to 63% and 64% to 68%, respectively. Thus, the GIS-based AHP model can serve as a reliable scientific tool for predicting seasonal groundwater quality at a river basin scale. It can be very helpful to the policymakers for devising viable management strategies for groundwater protection as well as for ensuring a sustainable water supply.

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