RETRACTED ARTICLE: The hydrochemical framework of surface water basins in southern Ghana |
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| Authors: | Sandow Mark Yidana |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA |
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| Abstract: | Surface water resources play a crucial role in the domestic water delivery system in Ghana. In addition, sustainable food
production is based on the quality and quantity of water resources available for irrigation purposes to supplement rain-fed
agricultural activities in the country. The objective of this research was to determine the main controls on the hydrochemistry
of surface water resources in the southern part of Ghana and assess the quality of water from these basins for irrigation
activities in the area. R-mode factor and cluster analyses were applied to 625 data points from 6 river basins in southern Ghana after the data had
been log transformed and standardized for homogeneity. This study finds that surface water chemistry in the south is controlled
by the chemistry of silicate mineral weathering, chemistry of rainfall, fertilizers from agricultural activities in the area,
as well as the weathering of carbonate minerals. A Gibb’s diagram plotted with total dissolved solids (TDS) on the vertical
axis against (Na+ + K+)/(Ca2+ + K+ + Na+) on the horizontal axis indicates that rock weathering plays a significant role in the hydrochemistry. Activity diagrams
for the CaO–Na2O–Al2O–SiO2–H2O and CaO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O systems suggest that kaolinite is the most stable clay mineral phase in the system. In addition, an assessment of the irrigation
quality of water from these basins suggests that the basins are largely low sodium—low to medium salinity basins, delivering
water of acceptable quality for irrigation purposes. |
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| Keywords: | Ghana Weathering Hierarchical cluster analysis Factor analysis Sodium adsorption ratio |
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