Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
groundwater source. Due to the competing water needs and upstream-
downstream implications of increasing water uses, there is the need to assess
the potential impacts of intensifying irrigation development and the
implications for sustainable water resources management in the sub-basin.
The implications of expanding irrigation development amidst the competing
uses of water in the sub-basin (including downstream impacts) raise concerns
for sustainable water resources development and management. Especially the
impact on the Akosombo Dam located downstream of the White Volta,
which is used for hydro-power generation, needs to be considered. This
chapter assesses the impact of intensifying irrigation development on the
groundwater and surface water resources. This is essential for planning for
sustainable water resources development in the sub-basin.
The study is conducted in three transboundary neighbouring watersheds
within the White Volta sub-basin located in the Upper East Region of
Ghana and southern Burkina Faso where almost all types of irrigation
technologies in the sub-basin are found.
The implications of the expansion of irrigation development in the sub-basin
are potentially large, ranging from environmental, institutional, hydrological
and social to economic impacts. Intensification of irrigation development can
create localised as well as large-scale challenges. The localised challenges
include competition for the same resource between neighbouring farmers.
The large-scale challenges relate to the water availability for other competing
uses located in different parts of the basin. The objective of this study is not
to study the localised effect of intensifying irrigation development but rather
to look at the large-scale impact of irrigation development on the water
resource, and on competing downstream water uses. The final objective is to
identify the implications of the impact on water resources management of the
sub-basin.
The chapter begins with a description of the methodology and data used for
the study. The next section describes the set-up of the WEAP model,
followed by the modelling results of a number of scenarios. The results of the
model are discussed on the basis of a comparison with simple water balance
calculations. The implications of these results on downstream water
availability are then assessed, with a focus on hydropower generation at
Akosombo dam. The benefits from upstream irrigation developments are
then compared with the costs of reduced hydropower generation downstream.
Finally conclusions are formulated concerning future irrigation development
in the White Volta basin.
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