Groundwater management of quaternary aquifer of the Nile Valley under different recharge and discharge scenarios: A case study Assiut governorate, Egypt

Abstract

This paper assesses the Quaternary aquifer behavior in Assuit governorate under different management discharge/recharge scenarios. The four discharge scenarios represent 1.25, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 of the current abstraction rate. The two proposed discharge scenarios represent 0.5 and 1.0 m reduction in surface water levels in the Nile River and main canals in the study area. The sensitivity analysis was performed, identifying hydraulic conductivity as the most sensitive parameter. The model was calibrated with 28 observation wells with a good agreement with measured data. The reductions in groundwater heads are 0.17, 0.35, 0.72, 1.11 m for the four discharge scenarios, respectively, while 0.22 and 0.46 m obtained as a reduction in groundwater heads for the two proposed discharge scenarios, respectively. The recharge from the Nile and canals was reduced by 58.078, 114,800 m3/day, respectively. Sustainable management plan is recommended for long-term analysis of the Quaternary aquifer in the study area.

Keywords

• Groundwater management
• ModelMuse
• Conceptual model
• Quaternary aquifer
• Nile Valley
• Egypt