Integrated Groundwater Flow Modeling for Managing a Complex Alluvial Aquifer Case of Study Mio-Plio-Quaternary Plain of Kairouan (Central Tunisia)

A significant decline in groundwater inflows from rivers by 48% between 1990 and 2017, coupled with an 119% increase in pumping rates, has critically impacted the Mio-Plio-Quaternary aquifer in Kairouan, Tunisia. This finding stems from a comprehensive groundwater flow model developed using Modflow, calibrated with data from 1969–2017 and validated for 2007–2017. The study, integrating borehole logs, seismic lines, and petroleum wells, reveals that while dams (El Houareb and Sidi Saad) have altered natural recharge processes, unsustainable groundwater management remains the primary driver of depletion. Simulations without dams but with current pumping rates show reduced upstream depletion, whereas eliminating dams and increasing withdrawals could worsen declines by 22 meters near Draa Affane.

Snoussi, M., Jerbi, H., & Tarhouni, J. (2022). Integrated Groundwater Flow Modeling for Managing a Complex Alluvial Aquifer Case of Study Mio-Plio-Quaternary Plain of Kairouan (Central Tunisia). Water, 14(4), 668. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14040668