Groundwater Assessment for Current and Future Water Demand in the Daka Catchment,Northern Region,Ghana

The use of untreated surface water for domestic purposes has resulted in the infection of some people by guinea worm and other water borne diseases in the Northern Region of Ghana. The aim of this study is to assess the current groundwater quantity and quality conditions in the 7,820 km² Daka catchment and project the water demand in 2025. Results of groundwater analyses generally show good water quality for domestic use. Borehole analyses indicate that the catchment’s groundwater system can be characterized by a regolith aquifer underlain by a deeper fractured rock aquifer in some areas. The current per capita water demand is estimated at 40 l/day although 60 l/day is the desired amount, indicating that with the current population of 363,350, the projected water demand for the communities is 21,800 m³/day. With a projected population of 555,500 in 2025, an expected 33,300 m³/day of water is required. The estimated optimum potential groundwater available for use in the catchment is 154 × 10⁶ m³/year (4.24 × 10⁵ m³/day). However, the current total groundwater abstraction is only 8,876 m³/day or 2% of the optimum. In comparison, the projected total current and 2025 water demands are only 5 and 8%, respectively, of the optimum potential groundwater available for use in the catchment. In addition, only 1,780 m³/day (0.65 × 10⁶ m³/year) or 0.06% of the average annual flow of 1,016 × 10⁶ m³/year of the Daka River is treated for domestic use. These figures reveal that a significantly very large water resource potential exists for both surface and groundwater development in the Daka catchment. It is suggested that their development should proceed conjunctively.