Trinity Development Research Week
7th November 2011
Sustainable Groundwater
Development
Bruce Misstear
Environmental Engineering Research Group
School of Engineering
Trinity College Dublin
Sustainable Groundwater Development
• Sustainable groundwater development can be achieved
with different types of wells (and springs)
• For sustainability, abstractions should not exceed longterm recharge of the groundwater resources (aquifers)
• Groundwater resources affected by changing climate
(which affects recharge)
• Large storage characteristics of many aquifers may
help to maintain supplies during droughts
(UN World Water Development Report 3, 2009)
(UN World Water Development Report 3, 2009)
Types of water wells
(Misstear et al., 2006)
Examples of shallow hand-dug wells from Pakistan,
Cameroon and Ethiopia
(Photos by Bruce Misstear, Mott MacDonald and David Banks)
Borehole construction, Southern Oman
(Photo BM)
Qanat (Persia) or Falaj (Arabic)
(Known as a Dawudi Falaj in Oman)
(Diagram from MWR Oman)
The aflaj (qanats) of Oman
(Photos BM)
Can sometimes follow line of
falaj from old spoil heaps
(Image from Google Earth)
Well design:
What does the user want?
Not this!
(Photo Mott MacDonald)
Sustainable wells: user requirements
• Quantity – need to meet design yield
• Quality – fit for particular purpose
• Reliability – avoid excessive
maintenance
• Cost – capital and operating costs
should be reasonable (but cheapest is
seldom best!)
• Impacts on others – avoid impacts on
neighbouring wells or environment
Sustainability principles are incorporated
into textbook guidance
Water is Life,
Uganda
Funded by Irish Aid/HEA Programme for Strategic Co-operation
Multi-disciplinary project
Goal of this programme - to build research capacity in Ireland and
Africa
Water is Life - 5 year programme – 2008 to 2013
Large numbers of partners – both Southern and Northern, HEIs,
MMM Resource Centre , Makondo and NGOs
Key aspects
•
•
•
•
•
Inter/intra institutional
Cross disciplinary
Research ‘in the field’
Community participation
Education and dissemination
Aim is to develop appropriate activities in the area of
water resource sustainability and monitor their effects
on community health, gender and poverty through a
combination of 8 PhD research projects and community
engagement
PhD research projects
1.
Sourcing & distribution of sustainable groundwater supplies for
rural water supply (TCD/DkIT//MUK)
2.
Sustainable pump technologies (DkIT/DCU/MUK)
3.
Health impact of SODIS using a school-based trial protocol
(RCSI/DCU/MUK)
4.
Solar disinfection of drinking water (RCSI/DCU/MUK)
5.
Water & water management needs: social & health impacts on
women & their children (DCU/DkIT/MUK)
6.
Adaptation of water management to climate change (NUIM/MUK)
7.
The social impact of gendering water resource management
(NUIM/MUK)
8.
Understanding cooperation & conflict in local water governance
(DCU/MUK)
Sourcing of sustainable groundwater supplies:
An assessment of a weathered crystalline rock
aquifer system, southwest Uganda (WP1)
PhD student: Sam Kagwisagye
Supervisors: Bruce Misstear, Eleanor Jennings,
Suzanne Linnane and Albert Rugomayo
Specific objectives
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•
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Monitoring groundwater quality in existing sources
Consideration of alternative well designs and locations
Assessment of the water balance for a weathered
crystalline rock aquifer system
• Investigation of impacts of changing climate on water
resources and on groundwater sources
Project field work in
Makondo parish, near
Masaka, Uganda
Makondo
(Photo Andrew Hughes)
Unimproved
water source
(Photo BM)
Most shallow wells are in the valley bottoms
(Photo BM)
Borehole on high ground with deep water level
Water collection mainly by children
(Photo BM)
Low yield
(Photo BM)
2010 survey findings
Functionality levels
 1 protected spring, 1
functioning – 100%
 25 shallow wells, 8
functioning – 32%
 10 boreholes,1
functioning – 10%
 Overall functionality –
27%
Broken pump – people revert
to unimproved source
(Photo BM)
Conceptual model for catchment water balance
(Prepared by Sam Kagwisagye)
Collection of hydrometric data as part of water balance estimation
Raingauge
Small borehole for monitoring groundwater levels
Weather station
Vandalised monitoring well
(Photos
BM)
(Photo BM)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
Questions?
(Photo Sam Kagwisagye)