Title: Groundwater recharge and its response to land use - land cover dynamics in Biji catchment of Marodi-Jeeh, Somaliland

Authors: Ridwan Ahmed Abdirahman; Dagnachew Daniel Molla; Tarun Kumar Lohani

Addresses: Arba Minch Water Technology Institute, Arba Minch University, Ethiopia ' Water Technology Institute, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch University, Ethiopia ' Water Technology Institute, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch University, Ethiopia

Abstract: The land cover dynamics in Biji catchment of Somaliland was undertaken to evaluate groundwater (GW) recharge response to LULC change using integrated geospatial and distributed modelling approach. Satellite imagery (Land sat TM and ETM+ 30 m) classification of 1986, 2005 and 2019 using Arc GIS software image processing techniques were employed. Land use change of agriculture over the last 33 years was assessed as 16.8%-24.8%, bare land 15.8%-14.9%, shrub 67.3%-59.7%, and built-up 0.06%-0.5%. The water balance indicates evapotranspiration loss of 61.1%, runoff 4.7%, and GW-recharge 34.2%. GW recharge response of land use dynamics in the last three periods was about 135.8, 142.5, and 137.7 mm, respectively which is predominantly due to agricultural expansion and urbanisation. During the same period, WetSpass model was used to estimate total flow with a correlation coefficient of 0.82 and 0.88 respectively at a statistically significant level.

Keywords: Biji catchment; Somaliland; groundwater recharge; LULC; WetSpass model.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHST.2024.139396

International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology, 2024 Vol.18 No.1, pp.1 - 22

Received: 08 Apr 2022
Accepted: 15 Nov 2022
Published online: 02 Jul 2024 *

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