Performance Evaluation of Solar Powered Boreholes and Use of Capped Boreholes for Irrigation in the Upper East Region of Ghana

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Date
2015-02-09
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The supply of potable drinking water in Ghana has not been adequate and the situation has worsened in recent years, especially in the Upper East Region. The response of Government has been the drilling of boreholes as water points. With the associated drudgery in drawing water, the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) piloted a number of solar powered boreholes in the region. However a sizable number of these boreholes have been abandoned (capped) for quality reasons, mostly due to high fluoride levels. The study evaluated the performance (in terms of water output per day) of solar powered boreholes and assessed the possible use of capped boreholes for irrigation in the region. Two solar powered boreholes at Zorbisi (Lat: 10048’03’’ N and longitude: 00052’42’’W) and Nayagnia (Latitude 10053’12’’ N and longitude 01001’55’’ W) in the Bolgatanga Municipality and the Kasena Nankana districts respectively were used for the study. Water meters were installed in the system, where daily recordings were made. Data from successful boreholes in the region was also collected and analysed to determine trends inherent in them. It was found out also that the minimum depth to ground water in the region is below 20m, and that discharge decreases with increasing depth. The system was manually operated and the water output also measured and compared with the solar system and was found out that; the manual operation gave more water than the solar because it had longer operation time than the solar whose operation was limited to (8:30AM-3:15pm). The per capita water demand for Zorbisi and Nayagnia was found to be 17.30 and 16.32 l/p/d respectively. From the South African agricultural water quality guide lines, it was found out that about 50% percent of the boreholes could have been used for Agriculture; and that the rest of the capped boreholes could also be used for Agriculture on neutral to alkaline soils.
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A Thesis submitted to the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Soil and Water Engineering,
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