International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering

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Estimation of Groundwater Recharge Using Water Balance Model:A Case Study in the Gerado Basin, North Central Ethiopia


Affiliations
1 Water Well Drilling Enterprise, Kombolcha, Ethiopia
2 Department of Geology, University of Botswana, Botswana
3 Department of Earth Sciences, Mekelle University, Ethiopia
 

This study was designed to assess the recharge contribution to groundwater from rainfall in the Gerado basin (370 km2), which located in the north central parts of Ethiopia inside the Blue Nile river basin. The hydrology of the area was characterized based on land use, soil, slope, rainfall, temperature, evapotranspiration, and runoff. The water balance model was used to quantify the recharge. The mean annual rainfall of the basin is 1234.11 mm. Out of this amount, 58.87% of the mean annual rainfall of the basin occurs with very high concentration within the two months of the year. It was found that the recharge to the groundwater from rainfall was about 14.1% of mean annual rainfall of the basin, which was 0.476 mm/day. The remaining percentage of the mean annual rainfall is lost in different forms: 58.5% is lost as evapotranspiration and 27.4% as surface runoff from the basin.

Keywords

Evapotranspiration, Gerado, Groundwater, Recharge, Runoff.
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  • Estimation of Groundwater Recharge Using Water Balance Model:A Case Study in the Gerado Basin, North Central Ethiopia

Abstract Views: 154  |  PDF Views: 121

Authors

Dereje Gidafie
Water Well Drilling Enterprise, Kombolcha, Ethiopia
Nata T. Tafesse
Department of Geology, University of Botswana, Botswana
Miruts Hagos
Department of Earth Sciences, Mekelle University, Ethiopia

Abstract


This study was designed to assess the recharge contribution to groundwater from rainfall in the Gerado basin (370 km2), which located in the north central parts of Ethiopia inside the Blue Nile river basin. The hydrology of the area was characterized based on land use, soil, slope, rainfall, temperature, evapotranspiration, and runoff. The water balance model was used to quantify the recharge. The mean annual rainfall of the basin is 1234.11 mm. Out of this amount, 58.87% of the mean annual rainfall of the basin occurs with very high concentration within the two months of the year. It was found that the recharge to the groundwater from rainfall was about 14.1% of mean annual rainfall of the basin, which was 0.476 mm/day. The remaining percentage of the mean annual rainfall is lost in different forms: 58.5% is lost as evapotranspiration and 27.4% as surface runoff from the basin.

Keywords


Evapotranspiration, Gerado, Groundwater, Recharge, Runoff.