Assessment of Groundwater Potentials in Ningi Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue VI, June 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705

Assessment of Groundwater Potentials in Ningi Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria

ES Abimiku¹, A Dadan-Garba², AA Adepetu³

¹Department of Geography, Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State Nigeria
²Department of Geography, Nigerian Defense Academy, Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria
³Department of Geography, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria
^*Corresponding Author

Abstract: – The determination of aquifer characteristics and groundwater potentials of the Ningi area of Bauchi state, Nigeria was carried out by analysing pumping test data. Boreholes depth within the study area ranges from 17.5 to 45.5 metres. The average static water level is about 11.8 metres. The yield varies according to borehole locations from as little as 13.62 to over 79.49 m³/d. Generally, borehole sunk into the Crystalline Basement and Basement Foreland give low yields. About 50% of the boreholes yield between 13.62 to 50 m³/d while the remaining 50% yield between 50-100 m³/d. The total yield of the boreholes is about 479.52.m³/day. This can sustain a population of 19,181 base on water supply standard of 25 litres per day for rural communities (Babatola, 1997). Considering the total population of 23,511 people (NPC, 2014) that are currently getting their domestic water from these boreholes, this shows that aquifers from the 10 sampled boreholes have very low groundwater potentials in terms of yield. This is an indication of future water crises in these areas, if the population keep increasing.The specific capacities of boreholes in the study area were computed and the results showed that they vary between 4.36 and 346 m/day (Table 1). Estimates of transmissivity obtained from pumping test analysis show that transmissivity (T) range from 1.16 to 63.35, with about 50% of the area having transmissivity of the aquifers ranging from 0 to 10 m²/d and only about 10 % (Yada Gungume) having transmissivity above 50 m²/d. Using Krasny (1993) standards (Table 1) to interpret transmissivity of groundwater in the study area indicates low to intermediate potentials.

Keywords: Basement Foreland, Groundwater, Pumping Test, Aquifer, Transmissivity, Ningi, Bauchi, Nigeria

I. INTRODUCTION

Groundwater is a vital source of water throughout the world. Water from beneath the ground has been exploited for domestic use, livestock and irrigation since the earliest times. Due to growing demand, successful methods of bringing the water to the surface have been developed and groundwater use has grown consistently over the years. According to Chow, Maidment, and Mays, (1988), groundwater is the water beneath the ground surface contained in void spaces (pore spaces between rock and soil particles, or bedrock fractures). Vincent et al, (2009) stated that groundwater occurs in unconsolidated and consolidated bedrock geologic formations.

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