Using the empirical formulas for estimation of groundwater recharge in the Lobo catchment (Center-West of the Ivory Coast)

Recharge estimation is a significant concern in any development project utilizing groundwater resources. In this study, groundwater recharge and recharge coefficient were determined using empirical methods applicable to tropical areas. Climatological data from January 2000 to December 2020 were collected at the Daloa synoptic station and were used to estimate the recharge of the area over this period. Using these empirical formulae, the results showed that groundwater recharge was on average 46.19 mm per year, actual evapotranspiration was 958.5 mm per year, and the recharge coefficient was 4.94% for the study area. The results also showed that about 3.86% of precipitation infiltrates the aquifer, 80% is lost through evapotranspiration, and 16.14% as surface runoff. The correlation between climatic parameters and groundwater recharge showed the highest correlation with rainfall. Minimum temperature, relative humidity and evapotranspiration have correlations with recharge of 0.159, 0.225 and 0.028, respectively. The results of the linear regressions showed that precipitation has a significant effect (R2 = 0.9958) on recharge.