Groundwater development in a mixed geological terrain: a case study of Niger State, central Nigeria

Abstract

Groundwater occurrence and characteristics of Niger State, Nigeria was studied using a combination of geological, hydrogeological and geophysical survey methods. Geological studies involved a determination of the various rock types and lithology, hydrogeological investigations involved the use of water levels in open hand dug wells and boreholes, while geophysical survey methods involved the use of electrical resistivity methods to determine subsurface conditions. The state is basically underlain by crystalline and the sedimentary rocks occurring in equal proportion. The crystalline rocks comprises mainly of granite, gneisses, migmatite and schist while the sedimentary deposits are mostly made up of sandstone, clays and shale. Groundwater occurs in the area in three broad categories; fractured/weathered aquifers in hard rock terrain, sandstone/grit aquifer in the sedimentary rock terrain and sandstone/conglomerate/ fractured rock in geologic contact areas. Groundwater yield varies widely in the three categories. /d) groundwater in the schist is low (below 0.6 lt/s) and sometimes wells placed in them are non-productive. Groundwater yields in the geologic contact areas vary from very low, where non fractured rock is overlain by clay, while very high yield is obtained in areas where the contact point is represented by conglomerate. Groundwater development in the state can best be achieved through a combination of geological, hydrogeological and geophysical survey methods.

Groundwater geochemistry and hydrochemical processes in the Egbako aquifer, Northern Bida Basin, Nigeria

“…Alluvial aquifers are also present and are associated with the River Niger course. In one study by (Idris-Nda et al, 2014), the northern Bida Basin was reported to be composed of four aquifers occurring a depth of between 30 and 100 meters. The aquifer transmissivity is very low with values of between 5 and 29.3m 3 / day (Mands, 1992;Kehinde, 1993) to over 50m 3 /day locally indicating high heterogeneity and anisotropy of the aquifer system (Kehinde, 1993).…”

“…The study area sits in the northern Bida Basin where groundwater provides over 80% of water need for domestic and agricultural activities. Previous hydrogeological studies here have focused on estimating the depth to aquifer and their hydraulic properties (Idris-Nda, 2012;Olabode et al, 2012;Idris-Nda et al, 2013) as well as assessing the groundwater quality and their suitability for human consumption (Idris-Nda et al, 2016;Sidi et al, 2016;Amadi et al, 2017;Ashafa et al, 2020). Findings from these studies revealed elevated concentration of nitrate and sulphate arising from intensive use of agrochemicals for agricultural and anthropogenic activities, with no study focused on understanding the relationship between the hydrochemistry and processes influencing them.…”

Groundwater occurrence and flow in varying geological formations

“…The occurrence of groundwater is based on the geology of the subsurface formation, which is categorized into three ways; fractured/weathered aquifers in hard rock terrain, sandstone/grit aquifers in the sedimentary rock terrain and sandstone/conglomerate/fractured rocks in geologic hard areas [12]. In Nigeria, the two major hydrogeological units are basement rocks and sedimentary basins [7].…”

Sustainable Water and Wastewater Management: Challenges, Innovations and Lessons from Global Case Studies

“…The report stated some notable challenges, such as management and maintenance, financing and lack of adequately trained professionals, leading to poor planning, execution and monitoring. As mentioned by [25], collecting, treating and reusing wastewater for different purposes can help reduce damage to lives and the environment, and its domestic use (except for cooking and drinking) can equally support disaster risk reduction strategies. There is a need for improved rules and regulations governing water and wastewater in Nigeria.…”