Groundwater modeling and estimation of the safe pumping rate for the sustainable use of groundwater resources in Kombolcha town, upper Borkena watershed, Ethiopia

The rate of groundwater extraction is increasing due to population growth. Balancing pumping rates with natural recharge is necessary for sustainable use. The safe groundwater pumping rate was determined using the groundwater model ModelMuse. To determine the safe pumping rate, 39 borehole data points were gathered and adjusted for 4, 8, and 12 h of pumping scenarios for 50 years in a steady-state pumping condition. The recharge rates in the study area were calculated using four empirical approaches in addition to the water balance method. Of the four empirical methods, the water balance technique provided the most accurate estimates of groundwater recharge, with an estimated average recharge rate of 176.75 mm per year. The ModelMuse model water balance report demonstrated that there was positive storage for all boreholes to be pumped simultaneously under 4- and 8-h pumping rate scenarios, but that there would be a significant drawdown under 12-h pumping from the stress period of 2039–2065, and the summation of inflow and outflow would become negative, indicating that the withdrawal rate is greater than the recharge rate. Thus, the safe pumping rate for Borkena groundwater was calculated to be 975 L/s in 8-h pumping rate scenarios.