Groundwater sustainability potentials in Wadi Araba through the application of managed aquifer recharge, Jordan / Ala’ Hamed Gablan Alelaimat

Ala’ Hamed Gablan, Alelaimat (2023) Groundwater sustainability potentials in Wadi Araba through the application of managed aquifer recharge, Jordan / Ala’ Hamed Gablan Alelaimat. PhD thesis, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

Globally one of the primary factors determining water security is water scarcity, which has a direct impact on the health and wellness of urban populations, environmental quality of cities, and socioeconomic. Over the next three decades, urban industrial and domestic water consumption is anticipated to increase 50–80% because of population expansion, urbanization, and socioeconomic development. Climate change will have an impact on the temporal and spatial distribution of water availability. Jordan considered one of the ten most waterscarce countries in the world, the country facing challenges in its water sector, Groundwater is the most crucial source of water in Jordan, it provides more than half of the total water demand, Some of Jordan's groundwater resources are presently exploited at maximum capacity, to meet this challenge, we should search for practical solutions that increase groundwater recharge, naturally or artificially. This study aims to select suitable sites for Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) through GIS and Groundwater Modeling and predict the climate change effect on water balance. Selected criteria were chosen based on Rainfall, Slope, Geological formations, Land Use, Soil texture, and Depth to the water table, these layers have been integrated into GIS software for generating (MAR) suitability map. The area falls into five categories of (MAR) potential zones i.e., very good, good, moderate, low, and very low. It is found that 16.7% with an area of 1473.7 km2 and 30.15% with 2649.5 km2 area are under very good and good category of (MAR) suitability respectively. An area of 1779.3 km2 representing 20.24% is found under moderate category whereas 1944.24 km2 and 890.94 km2 equals 32.82% of Wadi Araba area falls under low and very low categories of (MAR) suitability respectively, most of the promising (MAR) locations are located within the alluvium aquifer. To enhance comprehension and assessment of the Wadi Araba Aquifer systems, a groundwater flow model was constructed using the existing geology and hydrogeology within the study area. This model facilitated the simulation of predictive scenarios to aid in long-term groundwater management for the alluvium aquifer. Groundwater flows in opposite directions over a split in the Wadi Araba Basin's middle area. According to the alluvial aquifer's groundwater level chart, groundwater flows northeast toward the Dead Sea in the northern portion of the valley. On the other hand, groundwater flows south-southwest, toward the Red Sea, in the southern part of the valley. According to the model's computation of the groundwater budget, precipitation-related infiltration is the main source of the system's inflow. In majority of the wells, the computed vs observed head comparisons showed a significant agreement between the estimated and observed water levels, thus verifying the accuracy and reliability of the model. Rainfall decreasing affected by climate change in the modelled area cause a drawdown on the alluvium aquifer which can mitigate, based on a predictive scenario by increasing the recharge from precipitation, which resulted an increase in the water table in 3 sites by 1.96%-3.12%.

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