How does water-reliant industry affect groundwater systems in coastal Kenya?

Area of Science:

• Hydrogeology
• Water Resource Management
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Industrialization in Africa drives increased groundwater abstraction, often in data-scarce regions.
• Effective groundwater management is challenged by limited hydrogeological data in developing countries.
• Assessing new abstraction regimes requires understanding climatic impacts and competition for water resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the sustainability of new groundwater abstraction regimes in Kwale County, Kenya.
• To evaluate the impact of increased water competition on groundwater systems under varying climatic conditions.
• To demonstrate an integrated approach for hydrogeological assessment in data-limited environments.

Main Methods:

• Integrated hydrogeological tools with diverse information sources for system assessment.
• Analyzed abstraction sustainability before, during, and after the 2016 La Niña event.
• Utilized local community water usage, stakeholder knowledge, and corporate water management data.

Main Results:

• Lack of aquifer data can be partially overcome by integrating information from various stakeholders.
• Local water users and corporate management provide critical data for credible groundwater models.
• Simple methods, including interviews and readily available data, enable abstraction estimation and sustainability assessment.

Conclusions:

• Integrating diverse data sources is crucial for managing groundwater in data-scarce regions.
• Local knowledge and stakeholder engagement are vital for effective groundwater resource allocation.
• The study provides a replicable framework for assessing groundwater abstraction sustainability in developing countries.