Hydrodynamic modeling for groundwater assessment in Sana’a Basin, Yemen

Alwathaf, Yahia; El Mansouri, Bouabid

Hydrodynamic modeling for groundwater assessment in Sana’a Basin, Yemen | La modélisation hydrodynamique pour l’évaluation des eaux souterraines du bassin de Sana’a, le Yémen Modelación hidrodinámica para la evaluación del agua subterránea en la cuenca de Sana’a, Yemen 也门Sana’a盆地地下水评价的水动力模拟 Modelação hidrodinâmica para avaliação da água subterrânea na Bacia de Sana, Iémen

2012

Alwathaf, Yahia | El Mansouri, Bouabid

Yemen is a semi-arid country with very limited water resources. Sana’a Basin is located in the central part of Yemen and is the major source of water for drinking and irrigation. High abstraction rates in Sana’a Basin rising from 21.1 million (M) m3 in 1972 to 227.7 Mm3 in 2006, have led to a major decline in water levels and deterioration in groundwater quality. Effective management of groundwater resources in Sana’a Basin can be aided by modelling. FEFLOW was used to build a groundwater flow model for the basin and the model was calibrated under transient conditions for the period 1972–2006. The water balance for transient conditions of the Sana’a Basin in 2006 indicated that the total annual inflow was 116.9 Mm3, and the total annual outflow was 245.8 Mm3. Three scenarios for potential groundwater extraction for the period 2006–2020 are presented. The first represents the present status based on the 2006 extraction rates without introducing any management measures. The second is based on maximum domestic, agricultural and industrial consumption of water resources. The third simulates the effect of water-resource augmentation, i.e. the increase of groundwater recharge, and maximizes sustainability by reducing water consumption. Identified areas of the basin require prompt management action.

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