The salinity of Djibouti's aquifer
β Scribed by I. Houssein; M. Jalludin
- Book ID
- 103931971
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 573 KB
- Volume
- 22
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1464-343X
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
β¦ Synopsis
Fresh water supplied to Djibouti town is essentially groundwater located in the fractured Gulf and Somali basalt aquifers. About 30 wells (3 to 6 km inland from the sea) are exploited and provide water of rather poor quality (TDS between 1000 mg 1-l and 2800 mg 1-l). A sea water interface has been recognized locally some 3.8 km from the sea at 35 m below sea level. However, a well at Hidka Gisiyed, some 11 km from the sea, also contains water with high salinity (TDS=14,000 mg 1-l) at depth. The over-exploitation of the aquifer and the high pumping rate are contributing to an increase in the salinity due to the intrusion of sea water, as shown by the chemical results. The Hidka Gisiyed saline water is another possible source of saline water at depth. The isotopic results from part of the Djibouti aquifer have shown that current recharge from local rain or surface runoff is occurring. An understanding of factors influencing the evolution of the salinity will allow the better management of the aquifer. Resume -L'eau deuce qui alimente la ville de Djibouti provient essentiellement d'une nappe phreatique local&e dans les aquif+res de basaltes fractures du Golfe et de la Somalie. Une trentaine de forages (situ& g l'int&ieur des terres a des distances de 3-6 km de la mer) sont en exploitation et fournissent une eau de qualit plut8t mkdiocre (TDS entre 1.000 mg 1-l et 2.800 mg 1-l). Un interface avec de l'eau de mer a et& rep&e localement g environ 3,s km de la mer et B 35 m sous le niveau de l'oc&n. Par ailleurs, un forage a Hidka Gisiyed B quelque 11 km de la mer, a egalement livre en profondeur une eau a salinite elevee (TDS = 14.000 mg 1-l). La sur-exploitation de l'aquifcre et les taux de pompage 6leves contribuent & l'accroissement de la salinitk due B l'intrusion d'eau de mer, ainsi que l'indiquent les r&ultats chimiques. L'eau saline de Hidka Gisiyed represente une autre source d'eau saline en profondeur. Les resultats isotopiques d'une partie de l'aquif+re de Djibouti ont montre qu'une recharge actuelle de la nappe s'opere g partir de pr&ipitations locales ou d'&oulement de surface. La compr6hension des facteurs contrBlant l'&olution de la salinite permettront une meilleure gestion de l'aquif&re.
π SIMILAR VOLUMES
In 1987-88 deep exploratory geothermal wells were drilled in the Asal Rift in the Republic of Djibouti. The salinity of the brines produced in the Asal field exceeded 100 000 mg/kg, with a low gas content of the order of 0.6 mmol/mol. Measured temperatures in the producing zones and at wellbottom va
## Abstract Coastal groundwater aquifers are often exposed to heavy pumping and consequently to risks of saltwater intrusion. In many cases, however, the observed increase in groundwater salinity can only be partly explained by actual saltwater intrusion from the sea. Other salinityβincreasing proc