Anthony Duah | University of the Western Cape (original) (raw)

Papers by Anthony Duah

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Dec 29, 2022

Sustainable Water Resources Management

Agriculture

Groundwater is increasingly being used to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 an... more Groundwater is increasingly being used to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 and 6 in many parts of the world, including Ghana. Against this background, hydrogeochemical and multivariate statistical studies were conducted to determine the physicochemical characteristics and suitability of groundwater in some agrarian communities in the Upper East Region of Ghana for drinking and irrigational farming. Additional analyses were also performed to identify potential health risks associated with the groundwater use and to better understand the hydrogeochemical processes controlling groundwater evolution for its effective management. The results showed that the groundwater is typically fresh; moderate to very hard in character; undersaturated with calcite, dolomite, halite, and gypsum; and supersaturated with quartz and amorphous silica. The physicochemical characteristics of the groundwater are controlled by both anthropogenic and natural activities/processes, such as fe...

IAH - Selected Papers on Hydrogeology, 2008

Journal of the Ghana Science Association, 2012

Groundwater Pollution in Africa, 2006

... The mean reported value was 0.69 mg/1. A maximum value of 50 mg/1 total iron was also reporte... more ... The mean reported value was 0.69 mg/1. A maximum value of 50 mg/1 total iron was also reported.Amuzu (1974) presenting a countrywide Page 78. 62 AA Duah survey of 375 boreholes in rural areas reported 31 per cent of supplies above the WHO guideline value. ...

International Journal of River Basin Management, 2021

AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Dec 1, 2018

Journal of Applied Science and Technology, Sep 26, 2014

IAHS-AISH publication, 2009

The Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifers lie within the Southwestern Cape (SWC) region of South Af... more The Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifers lie within the Southwestern Cape (SWC) region of South Africa and are replenished by winter rainfall that exhibits substantial inter-annual variability. Projections of climate change in the SWC feature rising air temperatures and reduced precipitation over the next few decades. In this paper we relate rainfall time series within the TMG aquifer to groundwater levels in order to assess how rainfall variability as a result of climate change will impact groundwater recharge and sustainability of groundwater use. The expected decline in rainfall due to climate change implies a long-term reduction in recharge to groundwater and calls for sound management practices in groundwater-dependent economies.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2021

Artisanal small-scale mining has been part of Ghana’s history, but recent public outcry on the de... more Artisanal small-scale mining has been part of Ghana’s history, but recent public outcry on the devastating impacts of the phenomenon on water bodies, due to expansion in the sector, has led to clamp downs by various governments on the activity. This has called for evaluation of the water quality of the South-western Rivers System, which are small-scale mining endemic areas. Thirty-five river samples were collected in July 2018 and were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters using procedures outlined in the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewaters. The results revealed that the rivers are polluted with Fe and Cu, accompanied by very high levels of turbidity (mean = 488 NTU) and total suspended solids (TSS) (mean = 382 mg/L). NH3–N, PO4–P, BOD, and DO levels indicated mild pollution in the waters. Pollution of the rivers is attributable to impacts of artisanal small-scale mining, surface run-off as a result of high intensity rainfall, anthropogenic (indiscriminate waste disposal) and geogenic factors such as dissolution of minerals from the soil zone. It was observed that, if not strictly regulated, turbidity and TSS levels arising mainly from illegal small-scale mining activities could lead to shutdowns of a number of Ghana Water Company Limited treatment plants, leading to water supply challenges in the study area.

Journal of African Earth Sciences, 2021

Abstract Recharge estimation is important to the effective development and management of groundwa... more Abstract Recharge estimation is important to the effective development and management of groundwater resources, since it forms the basis for assigning abstraction rates. This study applied the water table fluctuation method and chloride mass balance approach to estimate groundwater recharge in the Densu basin, identified as the most problematic and vulnerable catchment in Ghana, using chloride and water level data from 10 monitoring wells. In general, the results revealed seasonal and spatial variation in groundwater recharge in the basin, with a north-south decreasing trend. The chloride mass balance approach and water level fluctuation method revealed average groundwater recharge of 70 mm and 62 mm/year respectively. With the total groundwater abstraction in the basin estimated to be only 8% of the annual recharge rate, the potential for groundwater use in the basin is great, granted adequate water quality assessment supports the useable quantity available in the basin.

Hydro-geophysical investigations were conducted on a 16-acre piece of land at KaedabiAhwerease in... more Hydro-geophysical investigations were conducted on a 16-acre piece of land at KaedabiAhwerease in the Akuapem-South Municipality in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The purpose of the study was to determine the groundwater potential at the site and the possibility of drilling a borehole that could yield considerable quantity of groundwater for sustainable potable water for a proposed bottled and sachet water factory. The survey was carried out using the Geonics EM-34 conductivity meter and ABEM Terrameter (model SAS 1000 C) equipment. Electromagnetic (EM) profiling and Vertical electrical sounding (VES) surveys were conducted to determine the vertical variation of the resistivity/conductivity of the sub-surface rock formation with depth with the view to detecting fractures, joints, shear zones and faults, which could serve as conduits for water traps within the underlying bedrock at the project site. The EM profiling data were obtained along three (3) evenly-spaced parallel traverses ea...

The Table Mountain Group (TMG) Formation is the lowest member of the Cape Supergroup which consis... more The Table Mountain Group (TMG) Formation is the lowest member of the Cape Supergroup which consists of sediments deposited from early Ordovician to early Carboniferous times, approximately between 500 and 340 million years ago. The Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifer system is exposed along the west and south coasts of South Africa. It is a regional fractured rock aquifer that has become a major source of bulk water supply to meet the agricultural and urban water requirements of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa. The TMG aquifer system comprises of an approximately 4000 m thick sequence of quartz arenite and minor shale layers deposited in a shallow, but extensive, predominantly eastwest striking basin, changing to a northwest orientation at the west coast. The medium to coarse grain size and relative purity of some of the quartz arenites, together with their well indurated nature and fracturing due to folding and faulting in the fold belt, enhance both the quality of the groundwater and its exploitation potential for agricultural and domestic water supply purposes and its hot springs for recreation. The region is also home to some unique and indigenous floral species (fynbos) of worldwide importance. These and other groundwater dependent vegetation are found on the series of mountains, mountain slopes and valleys in the Cape Peninsula. The hydrogeology of the TMG consists of intermontane and coastal domains which have different properties but are interconnected. The former is characterized by direct recharge from rain and include:  Professor Yongxin Xu who gave me the opportunity to undertake this exercise and guided me throughout the period of the study with direction and useful advice.  Professors Niko Verhoest, Luc Brendonck, Lincoln Rait and Eberhard Braune for your pieces of advice and help.  The VLIR (Flemish Inter University Council) programme of the University of the Western Cape for granting me the scholarship during the first three years of this study.  The staff of the Department of Earth Sciences of UWC especially Caroline Barnard who was my first call and Wasielah Davids for the help in assisting me throughout the study.  Professor Jonathan Levy for his invaluable assistance during his time at UWC.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

Arabian Journal of Geosciences

Iahs Aish Publication, 2009

Journal of Geological Research, 2013

2D resistivity tomography was used in , , and directions to delineate the extent of leachate plum... more 2D resistivity tomography was used in , , and directions to delineate the extent of leachate plumes around a solid waste landfill in Ikare Akoko, Ondo State, behind the secretariat. I access the geometry and depth contamination extent of the landfill repository using dipole-dipole method and Global positioning system to ascertain the image of the subsurface and the position at the earth surface. The study area is underlain by Precambrian basement rocks. Quantitative interpretation of pseudosection results shows that in traverse 1, stations 7, 8, and 9 form a conductive path at the depth of 1–10 m and penetrate to depth of 25 m; the second traverse shows a layer of highly conductive structure extending diagonally across the study area, while the third traverse is partly conductive and largely resistive due to its closeness to fresh basement rocks. The 2D structure has shown various conductive path ways via fractures and openings, thus, contaminating the groundwater. I recommend that ...