A Modelling approach to improving water security in a drought-prone area, West Coast, South Africa

Publication date: Available online 23 August 2019Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/CAuthor(s): Heng Zhang, Yongxin Xu, Thokozani KanyerereAbstractDue to severe droughts and rapid urbanization, Cape Town municipality including small towns along the West Coast of South Africa are facing water shortages. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) seems to offer a solution to improve water security in this drought-prone area. This paper presents a conceptual framework within which numerical modelling of the aquifers system is operated to improve water security of West Coast. The ModelMuse software that included MODFLOW and MODPATH packages was used. Scenarios which considered recharge aspects were used to evaluate suitable sites and appropriate scheme of implementing MAR. The result showed that it is feasible to implement MAR in the upper unconfined aquifer unit (UAU) which had estimated available space for MAR of 915.7 million m3. For the semi-confined lower aquifer unit (LAU), the clay-missing window area located at west of Hopefield was a suitable site to implement MAR. However, the prevailing little space in LAU to store recharged water was a limiting factor to support the implementation of MAR scheme. Details on the possibility of implementing MAR scheme for West Coast aquifers system were discussed based of the simulations that were carried out. Although the modelling approach does not provide precise areas but a management tool, it provides key insights that are ap...
Source: Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts ABC - Category: Science Source Type: research