RP-Department of Geography

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Browsing RP-Department of Geography by Author "Banton, O."

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    Challenges in groundwater resource management in coastal aquifers of East Africa: Investigations and lessons learnt in the Comoros Islands, Kenya and Tanzania
    (Elsevier B.V., 2016) Jean, C.C.; Cassidy, R.; Obando, Joy Apiyo; Robins, N.; Ibrahim, K.; Melchioly, S.; Mjemah, I.; Shauri, H.; Bourhane, A.; Mohamed, I.; Noe, C.; Mwega, B.; Makokha, M.; Join, J.; Banton, O.; Davies, J.
    Study region: Coastal areas of Kenya (Kilifi County), Tanzania (Kilwa district) and Comoros(Ngazidja island), East Africa.Study focus: Research aimed to understand the physical and societal drivers of groundwa-ter accessibility and identify critical aspects of groundwater access and knowledge gapsthat require further monitoring and research. Interdisciplinary societal, environmental andhydrogeological investigations were consistently undertaken in the three areas consid-ered as exemplars of the diversity of the coastal fringes of the wider region. This paperfocuses on the hydrogeological outcomes of the research, framed within the principalsocio-environmental issues identified.New hydrological insights: Results confirm the fundamental importance of coastal ground-water resources for the development of the region and the urgent need to matchgroundwater development with demographic and economic growth. Hydrogeologicalknowledge is fragmented, groundwater lacks a long-term monitoring infrastructure andinformation transfer from stakeholders to users is limited. Current trends in demog-raphy, climate, sea-level and land-use are further threatening freshwater availability.Despite possessing high-productivity aquifers, water quality from wells and boreholes isgenerally impacted by saltwater intrusion. Shallow large-diameter wells, following the tra-ditional model of these areas, consistently prove to be less saline and more durable thandeeper small-diameter boreholes. However, promoting the use of large numbers of shallow