Assessment of Groundwater Quality under Changing Climate in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 10
Abstract
Understanding the hydrochemical composition of water resources in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA, Dodoma, Tanzania) related to climate variability is essential for sustainable development. Thus, the current study used the HYDRUS-1D model to assess the groundwater quality change due to the leaching of hydrochemicals from surface water under the climate variability of the NCA. This study observed that the area’s surface water had varying hydrochemical contaminants, whereas the groundwater is currently most suitable for drinking and domestic purposes. However, it is predicted that two anions ( and ) and two cations ( and ) are expected to exceed the permissible limits from 2036 to 2050, considering the anticipated climatic conditions. Changes in groundwater quality for cations and anions are significantly correlated to evapotranspiration and temperature, with Pearson’s coefficient of determinations between 0.35 and 0.66. The findings of this study are necessary to benchmark better water resources management planning.
Practical Applications
Understanding the hydrochemical composition of water resources in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA, Dodoma, Tanzania) related to climate variability is essential for sustainable development. Thus, the current study used the HYDRUS-1D model to assess the groundwater quality change due to the leaching of hydrochemicals from surface water under the climate variability of the NCA. The hydrochemical assessment results for the composition of major cations and anions to the subsurface indicate the significant influence of future changes in the climate of the study area. The results indicate, two cations ( and ) and two anions ( and ) would exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) and Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) permissible limits between 2036 and 2050. Statistically, changes in groundwater quality for both cations and anions are significantly correlated with evapotranspiration and temperature. Therefore, apart from other factors such as volcanic activities and accelerated human interventions that could affect water quality, climate change can be considered the main driver for hydrochemical movements to the groundwater. Hence, a detailed climate change study should be conducted to precisely inform the impacts of future changes in climate parameters on water quality deterioration. The findings from such studies can be used for sustainable management of the water resources in this area.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request (water quality, climate, and soil lithology data).
Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to the World Bank and Department of Science and Technology India, which implemented activities related to strengthening the Africa Center of Excellence (ACEs) through the Water Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy Futures (WISE-Futures) Center in the NM-AIST, for their support during this study. In addition, we thank the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) for quality input datasets to facilitate this study. Special appreciation also goes to the National Institute of Hydrology at IIT Roorkee, India, for laboratory analysis. The African Center of Excellence for Water Management Programme through the Water, Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy Futures (WISE-Futures) Centre of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania, funded this work. Authors Mohamed Mwabumba, Jahangeer Jahangeer, and Sahila Beegum contributed equally to the work.
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Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 10 • October 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Nov 18, 2021
Accepted: May 6, 2022
Published online: Jul 18, 2022
Published in print: Oct 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Dec 18, 2022
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