Groundwater Archives - Ghana News Express

Groundwater levels in the Densu River Basin are declining, according to a study by the Water Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-WRI). The study, conducted from 2020 to 2023, revealed increasing groundwater abstractions, placing stress on the resource. “Scenario analysis reveals abstractions at the current rate over 20 years without changes to recharge rate, pose risks to stream flows and ecosystems, especially under drier climate conditions,” cautioned Mr. Bismark Awinbire Akurugu, a research scientist with CSIR-WRI’s Groundwater and Geoscience Division. He presented the findings at a science engagement workshop in Accra, themed “Assessing the Potential Impacts of Abstractions and Recharge Using Numerical Groundwater Flow Modelling for t...

A study conducted by a team of scientists from Ghana, Canada, and Nigeria has revealed that manure applied to farmlands to improve crop yields is contributing to high concentrations of nitrate in groundwater. The research, conducted in agricultural communities in the Upper West Region of Ghana, found that organic manure from cattle grazing, open defecation, and other sources accounted for about 74 per cent of the nitrate contamination in the affected groundwater. The study focused on 98 communities, with nine communities—including Charia, Nyayiri, Sankana, Moyiri, Nadowli, Tampoe, Gball, Jeffisi, and Gbelle—showing significantly higher nitrate levels than the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended limit of 50 milligrams per liter. In these areas, nitrate concentrations exce...

Tag: Groundwater

Groundwater abstractions endanger Densu River Basin – CSIR-WRI warns

Study links manure use to high nitrate levels in groundwater