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Reservoir sedimentation and spatiotemporal land use changes in their watersheds: the case of two sub-catchments of the White Volta Basin

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Abstract

Reservoir storage is compromised by sedimentation for which reason it has become an important matter in reservoir operation and management. While many studies have investigated sediment deposition rate in reservoirs, few have analyzed reservoir sedimentation from their catchment’s land use change perspective. Based on bathymetric survey conducted on two reservoirs in the White Volta Basin in 2020 and analysis of four Landsat satellite imagery (1986, 1996, 2006, and 2020) within their watersheds, this study assessed the land cover change within the watersheds to draw inferences on the rate of sedimentation of the reservoirs located downstream of their catchments. The results revealed rapid sedimentation in the small-sized reservoir (Vea), with an annual sedimentation rate of 0.304% and a nominal sedimentation rate of 0.17% for the mid-sized reservoir (Tono). Furthermore, the savannah forest within the Vea catchment declined drastically from 29.4% (1985) to 9.9% (2020) influenced by the rapid expansion of farmlands from 18.7% to 47.9% within the same period, respectively. On the other hand, the savannah forest within the Tono catchment declined from 34.7% (1985) to 21.6% (2020) due to farmland expansion from 19.2% to 39% within the same period, respectively. The higher sedimentation rate observed in the small-sized reservoir was observed to be worsened by extensive tree cover removal in its catchment. Therefore, land cover characteristics within a watershed have a significant bearing on the rate of sedimentation in the reservoirs located downstream of their catchment. Hence, adopting a multi-sectorial approach to dealing with land use management is necessary to sustain reservoirs' storage.

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Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author (JAA), upon reasonable request. The Landsat images are available at USGS EarthExplorer (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov).

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Center Kumasi (RWESCK). At the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi with funding from the Ghana government through the World Bank under the Africa Centers of Excellence project. Many thanks to the Irrigation Company of the Upper Region (ICOUR) for their data assistance and guidance in the Bathymetric process.

Funding

Funding was provided by the Ghana government through the World Bank.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Center Kumasi (RWESCK), Civil Engineering Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University Post Office, Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana

    Joan A. Atulley, Adjei A. Kwaku & Charles Gyamfi

  2. Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University Post Office, Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana

    Emanuel D. J. Owusu-Ansah

  3. C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Box 24, Navrongo, Ghana

    Melvin A. Adonadaga

  4. Greater Accra Region, Accra Technical University, Accra, Ghana

    Odai S. Nii

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  1. Joan A. Atulley
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Contributions

Conceptualization, data curation, and visualization were done by JAJ. Writing of the first draft and editing were performed by JAJ and MAA. Supervision, further editing, reviewing, and validation were done by AAK, EDJO, CG, and OSN. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Joan A. Atulley.

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Atulley, J.A., Kwaku, A.A., Gyamfi, C. et al. Reservoir sedimentation and spatiotemporal land use changes in their watersheds: the case of two sub-catchments of the White Volta Basin. Environ Monit Assess 194, 809 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10431-y

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