Print Email Facebook Twitter Bridging the data gap Title Bridging the data gap: using remote sensing and open-access data for assessing sustainable groundwater use in Kumasi, Ghana Author Potter, Estela Fernandes (Student TU Delft) Monney, Isaac (Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development) Rutten, M.M. (TU Delft Water Resources) Date 2023 Abstract Groundwater use has significantly increased in the rapidly urbanising city of Kumasi, Ghana. But there is a lack of understanding of whether the groundwater system can sustain the growing demand in the future amidst climate change and rapid urbanisation. Using remote sensing datasets and a water balance approach, this study estimated the groundwater recharge and assessed how urbanisation has affected its groundwater sustainability. Sustainability is investigated by comparing multi-annual groundwater withdrawals to long-term average annual replenishment. Results show that while groundwater recharge has decreased by 80% from 1986 to 2020, mainly due to substantial (63%) loss of permeable land, groundwater consumption has seen a six-fold increase. Groundwater consumption in 2020 exceeded the long-term average groundwater recharge by 2.2Mm3, suggesting that the current groundwater use trends are unsustainable for future ground-water availability. Under a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario, a four-fold increase in groundwater consumption is predicted by 2050 while climate change and land-cover changes may reduce groundwater recharge by 10% and 55% respectively. Practical measures such as promoting artificial groundwater replenishment approaches, adopting low-impact development and instituting demand management measures must be implemented in the Metropolis. This should be informed by further studies to ascertain the exact condition of the groundwater. Subject groundwaterKumasiremote sensingsustainabilityurbanisationwater consumption To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:43cfb87d-75a9-40a5-9917-448d45d8c613 DOI https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2023.261 ISSN 2040-2244 Source Journal of Water and Climate Change, 14 (9), 3237-3256 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2023 Estela Fernandes Potter, Isaac Monney, M.M. Rutten Files PDF jwc0143237.pdf 1.23 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:43cfb87d-75a9-40a5-9917-448d45d8c613/datastream/OBJ/view