ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Water
Sec. Water Resource Management
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frwa.2025.1542663
Groundwater recharge estimation in relation to land use type and soil: the case of Hormat-Golina sub-basin, northern Ethiopia
Provisionally accepted
Seyoum Bezabih Kidane*
Mariye Melkam Taye- Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Dessie, Ethiopia
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Water is a vital resource for humanity, with groundwater being the largest source of fresh water available.The Hormat-Golina sub-basin, located in the North Wollo Zone of the Amhara region, is a key area for groundwaterbased irrigation. However, irregular rainfall patterns in both timing and distribution make it challenging for residents to maintain adequate soil moisture for crop growth. As a result, there is an increasing demand for agricultural development utilizing groundwater in this region. Despite ambitious irrigation expansion plans, there has been insufficient assessment of groundwater reserves and recharge rates. Understanding the spatial variability of groundwater recharge in relation to land use, soil texture, topography, groundwater levels, and hydrometeorological factors is crucial to ensure the sustainable development of groundwater resources. This study aimed to estimate the spatial groundwater recharge in the Hormat-Golina sub-basin in northern Ethiopia using a spatially distributed water balance model (WetSpass). Input data for the model were organized into grid maps with a 30 m grid size, and parameters were tailored to reflect the specific conditions of the sub-basin based on expert insights and scientific research. The model results demonstrated a strong correlation between observed and simulated surface runoff, with R² = 0.94 and NSE = 0.85. The findings indicated that the long-term average annual rainfall of 829 mm was distributed as follows: 156 mm (19%) for surface runoff, 617 mm (73%) for evapotranspiration, and 55 mm (8%) for recharge. This recharge amounts to approximately 400,000 cubic meters for the Hormat-Golina sub-basin, which covers an area of about 698 km². Notably, 83% of this recharge occurs during the rainy summer season, while the remaining 17% occurs during the dry (beg) season. The highest recharge rates were recorded in forested areas with sandy soil.
Keywords: Ethiopia, Groundwater recharge, Hormat-Golina, WetSpass, Soil texture
Received: 10 Dec 2024; Accepted: 12 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kidane and Taye. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Seyoum Bezabih Kidane, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Dessie, Ethiopia
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