Abstract
The following paper describes the goals and some preliminary work in the Bani sustainability study, an ongoing project in Mali, West Africa. Rural communities in Mali are increasingly relying on hand-pumps, which tap groundwater resources, as a means of obtaining potable water. The long-term sustainable yield of groundwater resources is not known but can be evaluated in sustainability study. In 2005, a groundwater sustainability study was established along the Bani River of Mali. The Bani study collected groundwater levels that were used in a conceptual groundwater flow model—the Bani model—to develop an understanding of current aquifer conditions and to make limited predictions of sustainability under various future scenarios. The Bani model showed the climatic parameters of recharge (derived from precipitation) and evapotranspiration to influence simulated groundwater levels and groundwater volume available, while increased pumping rates, due to population growth, showed little effect. When considered in the context of the actual Bani sustainability study area, the change in groundwater levels resulting from climatic parameters may have negative implications, especially during several consecutive years of decreased precipitation, such as drought, or if downward trends anticipated for precipitation continue.
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Acknowledgments
This research was sponsored by a Fulbright Scholarship and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Thanks to World Vision Mali and the Mali Rural Water Project for providing support in Mali. Additional assistance is given by the Desert Research Institute. Much appreciation goes to the communities where the groundwater sustainability sites are located. A special thanks goes to Mr. Samuel Diarra at the Mali Rural Water Project. The NCAR data were provided by the Data Support Section of the Computational & Information Systems Laboratory (formerly SCD) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. NCAR is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation.
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Lutz, A., Thomas, J.M., Pohll, G. et al. Sustainability of groundwater in Mali, West Africa. Environ Geol 58, 1441–1450 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1646-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1646-9