Groundwater in the Volta Basin (PDF, 571 KB - BGR

Table 2 Shared Groundwater Basins
No. of Shared Groundwater Basins
Country
With Riparian Countries With Non-Riparian Countries
Benin 3 2
Burkina Faso 2 2
Cote d’Ivoire 1 -
Ghana 2 1
Mali 2 2
Togo 1 1
4.0 Utilization and Problems
Groundwater resources in the Volta basin are used mainly for domestic water supply in both urban and
rural areas. Key cities such as Ouagadougou, Cotonou and Lomé all rely on groundwater for a significant
proportion of their water supplies. In many rural areas, groundwater is the only source of safe portable
water supply. Groundwater is also used for watering of livestock and crop irrigation but on a comparatively
limited scale. In general many groundwater sources are untapped although the rate of use is rapidly
increasing (ECOWAS-SWAC/OECD, 2006).
The major problems associated with utilization of groundwater in the Volta basin include:
• Over exploitation as a result of population pressure;
• Contamination and pollution problems from poor domestic and industrial waste disposal practices;
• Deforestation and creation of irrigation dams resulting in reduced aquifer recharge;
• Intrusion of saline waters and high fluoride and iron concentrations affecting water quality;
• Impacts of reduced rainfall and global climatic change.
5.0 Management of Groundwater in the Volta Basin
The management of groundwater occurs at different levels in the various countries. While some countries
including Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin have established systems to monitor shared aquifers,
others such as Ghana and Togo do not have such systems in place. Monitoring is mainly by the use of
networks of piezometers. However, in all cases, installed monitoring systems are not adequate.
Data and information are not sufficient to neither map out the aquifers nor assess their recharge. Also, both
public and private sector institutions continue to operate sectorally, with little coordination. At the
transboundary level, there is virtually no contacts or cooperation between the various national institutions
responsible for the management of groundwater resources.
Legislation for the management of groundwater resources is not common. It usually forms part of general
codes for protection of water resources or the environment and is not specific to ground water. However,
efforts are being made to improve the situation as in Ghana, which has recently passed ‘Drilling License
and Groundwater Development Regulations’ in attempt to control drilling and improve data collection.
6.0 Way Forward
Many recommendations exist for improved management of groundwater resources in West Africa of which
the Volta basin is a part. These include the following:
Tripoli June 2002 UNESCO/ISARM Workshop on Managing Shared Aquifers Resources in Africa, which
highlighted the need to:
• Conduct inventories of African shared aquifers;
• Prepare guidelines for sound and sustainable development of shared aquifers;
• Initiate activities with the support of partners within the framework of ISARM Africa;
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