Groundwater Resource Supply Augmentation: A Case Study of Dzamba and Mabulo Villages in Vhembe District Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

The Limpopo Province of South Africa is relatively water-scarce due to climate change, population growth, and economic development. It is well known that every geographical area has some inborn causes of water scarcity related to its origin, structure, geographical location, and setup. The study area is located in Thulamela Local Municipality (TLM) in the Vhembe District, Limpopo province of South Africa, and faces many challenges, including a lack of sustainable water supply. Based on the location of the communities living in the area (being in the most rural areas of Limpopo province), essential service delivery, like water supply, is a severe problem. Dzamba-Mabulo Communities rely on rivers, streams, and springs for water supply. With the effects of drought and climate change, surface water sources often dry up, leaving these communities in a water crisis. The only alternative water source for this area is the groundwater. Most of the research site is covered by the Soutpansberg Group "hard rock" formations, which essentially have no primary porosity. The weathered and fractured discontinuities, also known as secondary porosities, are where groundwater is primarily found. Most boreholes drilled at the research site are poor yielding because most existing boreholes were not scientifically sited. Due to the complex nature of the underlying hard rock, the available groundwater is in the fractured aquifer systems. The study aims to explore groundwater and develop wells for these communities to augment the existing water supply for sustainable use. Groundwater supply was developed (siting, drilling, pump testing, and water quality testing) in groundwater potential areas. The transmissivity values obtained using Theis and Cooper-Jacob methods were 2,0 m2/day and 1,59 m2/day, respectively. While the Storativity (S) was 0,00003 (Theis method) and 0,4 x 10-7 (Cooper-Jacobs). The study recommends submitting future groundwater project reports within the study area to the Department of Water and Sanitation or Local Municipality to update the groundwater databases. The hydrogeological characteristics of the study site will serve as a basis for future groundwater development data collection within the research area, for future reference. The study found an average yield from the pump test for borehole B1 (newly developed borehole) of 0,37 l/sec over 24 hours of daily pumping. The volume of water allowed to be abstracted per day is 32,10 m3, which can meet the basic human need of 25 litres per person per day for 1,284 persons. This is more than 1,6 times the total 18,950 m3 per day required for the 758 Dzamba and Mabulo Villages population. This amount of water can be abstracted with a dynamic water level of 65 mbgl if pumped for 24 hours or 48,30 mbgl if pumped for 12 hours.