Abstract
The potential leaching of harmful chemicals (heavy metals) due to application of large quantities of agro-chemicals in an impending up-scaling of dry-season irrigational farming into shallow groundwater aquifers has necessitated the study to assess the potential risk to contamination of the shallow (weathered) aquifers within the Atankwidi basin of Ghana using the combination of DRASTIC and Arc GIS. The DRASTIC indices ranged from 41 to 117 representing the lowest to highest vulnerable (risk) areas. 34.4 km2, 93.3 km2 and 63.9 km2 representing 20, 48.8 and 33.2% of the area had low, moderate and high risk with indices ranging between 41–71, 71–88 and 88–117, respectively. Moderate and high risk areas which constituted approximately 80% of the area are underlain with clay-loam and sandy-loam soils, where major farming takes place. High risk areas are located in elevated areas (recharge), having the shallowest depth-to-water table and highest conductivity values. Sensitivity analysis revealed influential parameters in order of Hydraulic conductivity (C) > Soil media (S) > Depth to water table (D) > Net recharge (R) > Impact of vadose zone (I) > Topography (T) > Aquifer media (A). Validation of the DRASTIC model using heavy metals revealed that elevated concentrations were found within the high risk and vice versa. It is recommended that pollution-prevention measures would be taken account during the planning and implementation of the up-scaling program.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahmed AA (2009) Using generic and pesticides DRASTIC GIS-based models for vulnerability assessment of the Quaternary aquafer at Sohag, Egypt. Hydrogeol J 17:1203–1217
Ajayi SO, Odesanya BO, Avwioroko AO, Okafor GSAB (2012) Effects of long term fertilizer use on trace metal levels of soils in a farm settlement. J Agric Res Dev 2(2):44–51
Aller L, Bennet T, Lehr JH, Petty RJ, Hacket G (1985) DRASTIC: a standardized system for evaluating groundwater pollution using hydrological settings. In: National water Well Association for the US EPA Office of Research and Development
Andrade AIASS, Stigter TY (2009) Multi-method assessment of nitrate and pesticide contamination in shallow alluvial groundwater as a function of hydrogeological setting and land use. Agric Water Manag (Elsevier) 96(12):1751–1765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2009.07.014
Anornu GK, Kabo-bah AT, Anim-Gyampo M (2012) Evaluation of groundwater vulnerability in the Densu River basin of Ghana. Am J Human Ecol 1(3):79–86. https://doi.org/10.11634/216796221403191
Appelo CAJ, Postma DP (2005) Geochemistry, Groundwater And Pollution, 2nd edn. Balkema, Rotterdam, p 647
Atiqur R (2008) A GIS based DRASTOC model for assessing groundwater vulnerability in shallow aquifers in Aligarh India. App Geogr 28:32–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2007.07.008
Babiker IS, Mohammed MAA, Hiyama T, Kato K (2005) A GIS-based DRATIC model for assessing aquifer vulnerability in Kakamigahara Heights, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. Sci Total Environ 2005(345):127–140
Bailey RG (1988) Problems with using overlay mapping for planning and their implications for Geographic Information Systems. Environ Manag 12(1):11–17
Barber C, Bates LE, Barron R, Allison H (1993) Assessment of the relative vulnerability of groundwater to pollution: a review and background paper for the conference workshop on vulnerability assessment. Austral Geol Geophys 14(2/3):147–154
Barcelona M, Gibb JB, Helfrich JA, Garske EE (1985) Practical guide for groundwater sampling. Illinois State Water Survey ISWS, Illinois, p 374
Barry B, Forkuor G, Gumma MK, Namara R, Rebelo LM, van den Berg J, Laube W (2010) Shallow Groundwater in the Atankwidi Catchment of the White Volta Basin: Current status and Future Sustainability. International Water Management Institute, Colombo, p 30. https://doi.org/10.5337/2010.234
Chilton PJ, Foster SSD (1993) Hydrogeological characterization and water supply potential of basement aquifers in tropical Africa. In: Banks SD (ed) Hydrogeology of Hard Rocks–Memoirs of the XXIVth Congress International Association of Hydrogeologists. Geological Survey of Norway, Trondheim
Classen HC (1982) Guidelines and technologies for obtaining water samples that accurately represent the water chemistry of an aquifer. US Geol Survey 82–1024:49p
Dickson KB, Benneh G (1998) A new geography of Ghana. Longman Group UK Limited. Longman House Burnt Mill, Harlow, pp 27–52
Dissanayake CB, Chandrajith R (2009) Phosphate mineral fertilizers, trace metals and human health. J Nat Sci Found Sri Lanka 37(3):153–165. https://doi.org/10.4038/jnsfsr.v37i3,1219
Foster SSD, Hirata R (1988) Groundwater pollution risk assessment: a methodology using available data. WHO-PAHO/HPE-CEPIS Technical Manual, Lima
Gad MI, El-Kammar MM, Ismail HMG (2015) Groundwater vulnerability assessment using different overlay and index methods for quaternary aquifers of Wadi El-Tumilat, East Delta, Egypt. Asian Rev Environ Earth Sci 2(2):9–22
Ghosh JG, Pillay KR, Dutta NK (2000) A geological note on the gold panning activity in the Kapsi-Lahattar area, Kotri linear belt, MP. Indian J Geol 72:55–59
Gogu RC, Dassargues A (2000) Sensitivity analysis for the EPIK method of vulnerability assessment in a small karstic aquifer, Southern Belgium. Hydrogeol J 8(3):337–345
Griffis JR, Barning K, Agezo FL, Akosah KF (2002) Gold Deposits of Ghana. Ontario, Graph Evol Bar, p 362
Haertle A (1983) Method of working and employment of EDP during the preparation of groundwater vulnerability maps. In: Groundwater in Water Resources Planning (Proc. Koblenz Symp, August-September 1983), IAHS Publ. no 142:1073–1085
Leibe J (2002) Estimation of water storage capacity and evaporation lossesof small reservoirs in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Dissertation. Universitant Bonn
Lindstr̈om R (2005) Groundwater vulnerability assessment using process-based models. Trita-Lwr PhD Thesis 1022, Stockholm, Sweden, pp 36
Lodwik WA, Monson W, Svoboda L (1990) Attribute error and sensitivity analysis of maps operation in geographical information systems–suitability analysis. Int J Geograph Inf Syst 4:413–428
Lynch SD, Reynders AG, Schulze RE (1994) Preparing input data for a national-scale groundwater vulnerability map of southern Africa. Document ESRI 94
Mamadou S, Zhonghua T, Win H, Innocent M, Kanyamanda K (2010) Assessment of groundwater pollution potential of the datong Basin, Northern China. J Sustain Dev 3(2):140–152
Martin N (2005) Development of a water balance for the Atankwidi catchment. West Africa-A case study of groundwater recharge in a semi-arid climate, Ecol Dev Ser, p 41
Martin N, van de Giesen N (2006) Spatial distribution of groundwater use and groundwater potential in the Volta River basin of Ghana and Burkina Faso. Water Int 30(2):239–249
Napolitano P, Fabbri AG (1996) Single parameter sensitivity analysis for aquifer vulnerability assessment using DRASTIC and SINTACS In: Proceedings of the 2nd HydroGIS conference. IAHS Publ 235:559–566
National Research Council (1993) Groundwater vulnerability assessment. Contamination potential under conditions of uncertainty. National Academy Press, Washington, DC
Pelig-ba KB, Parker A, Price M (2001) Elemental contamination of rainwater by airborne dust in Tamale township area of the Northern region of Ghana. Environ Geochem Health 23(4):333–346
Prasad K, Shukla JP (2014) Assessment of groundwater vulnerability using GIS-based DRASTIC technology for the basaltic aquifer of Burhner watershed, Mohgaon block, Mandla (India). Curr Sci 107(10):1649–1656
Srivastava RK, Gupta M, Mukherjee S (2011) Mapping spatial distribution of pollutants in groundwater of a tropical area of India using remote sensing and GIS. Appl Geomat 4(1):21–32
Van den Berg J (2008) Exploring shallow groundwater irrigation: current status and future application. MSc Thesis. Delft University of Technology
van der Ofosu E, Zaag AP, van de Giesen N, Odai SN, Amanor R (2014) Analysis of Upscaling of Irrigation Development in the White Volta sub-Basin. JENRM 1(1):36–43
Vrba J, Zaporozec A (1994) Guidebook on mapping groundwater vulnerability, international contributions to hydrology. Heinz Heise, Hannover 16:131
Wang Y, Ma T, Luo Z (2001) Geostatistical and geochemical analysis of surface water leakage into groundwater on a regional scale: a case study in the Liulin karst system, northwestern China. J Hydrol 246(1):223–234
WHO (2008) Guideline for drinking water quality, 2, Health Criteria and other supporting information. WHO, Geneva
Wilkes SM, Clement TP, Otto CJ (2004) Characterization of the hydrogeology of the Augustus River catchment, Western Australia. Hydrogeol J 12:209–223
Wright EP (1992) The hydrogeology of crystalline basement aquifers in Africa. Geol Soc 66:1–27
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their profound gratitude to the World Bank and the Government of Ghana for financial sponsorship through the Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre, Kumasi (RWESCK) under the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) project. The authors are also very grateful to Mr Sampson Nsiah of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University for Development Studies and the staff of the Environmental Chemistry Department at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Accra for their tremendous support during groundwater sampling, data collection and analysis. Furthermore, we wish to clearly that the views expressed in this article are purely those of the authors and do not reflect those of the World Bank, The Government of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Anim-Gyampo, M., Anornu, G.K., Agodzo, S.K. et al. Groundwater Risk Assessment of Shallow Aquifers within the Atankwidi Basin of Northeastern Ghana. Earth Syst Environ 3, 59–72 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41748-018-0077-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41748-018-0077-3