Modeling Surface Water–Groundwater Interactions: Evidence from Borkena Catchment, Awash River Basin, Ethiopia

Abstract

The availability of sufficient water resources is critical for sustainable social and economic development globally. However, recurrent drought has been a precursor to inadequate water supply in the case of Borkena Catchment, Awash River Basin, Ethiopia. To support the conjunctive use and management of surface water and groundwater in Borkena Catchment, an integrated model was developed using the SWAT–MODFLOW model. The model was designed to operate on a monthly time scale. The change in the water balance obtained from the SWAT–MODFLOW model provides a quantitative means to assess the effect of the climate variability and changes, as well as the impact of human activities, on water resources. To advance the understanding at the regional and local scales, surface water–groundwater interactions in the Borkena Catchment geochemical information and piezometer maps were integrated. The results show that the groundwater recharge in the study area is approximately 122 mm/a. The surface water–groundwater interaction results show that the areas around Harbu and Dessie are characterized as losing rivers, while the areas around Kemisse-Chefa and the highlands of Kutaber, where the Borkena River originates, are characterized as gaining rivers. A geochemical analysis indicated that there is an inter-basin groundwater transfer from the Abbay to the Awash basin. The integrated model generated key temporal and spatial information that is useful for the sustainable conjunctive management of surface and groundwater in Borkena Catchment for climate resilience in the face of climate variability and increasing demand.