Features of river flow in inland valleys in semi-deciduous forest zone in Ghana

There are about 2.8 million ha of inland valleys in Ghana and 20 million ha of inland valley in West Africa. Although inland valleys are suitable for lowland rice due to the abundance of water resources and higher soil fertility compared with the upland, they have not been well utilized as agricultu...

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Main Authors: Fujii, H., Dawuni, B., Kulawardhana, Wasantha, Thenkabail, Prasad S., Namara, Regassa E.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40605
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author Fujii, H.
Dawuni, B.
Kulawardhana, Wasantha
Thenkabail, Prasad S.
Namara, Regassa E.
author_browse Dawuni, B.
Fujii, H.
Kulawardhana, Wasantha
Namara, Regassa E.
Thenkabail, Prasad S.
author_facet Fujii, H.
Dawuni, B.
Kulawardhana, Wasantha
Thenkabail, Prasad S.
Namara, Regassa E.
author_sort Fujii, H.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description There are about 2.8 million ha of inland valleys in Ghana and 20 million ha of inland valley in West Africa. Although inland valleys are suitable for lowland rice due to the abundance of water resources and higher soil fertility compared with the upland, they have not been well utilized as agricultural land in West Africa. Further utilization of inland valley for lowland rice will improve the productivity of rice in West Africa. In this study water resources of small rivers in inland valleys in West Africa are evaluated. Two study watersheds with 1,400-1,500mm of annual rainfall in Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone in Ghana were selected and analyzed on slope distribution in the study watershed to grasp suitable area for lowland rice and on hydrological characteristics such as specific discharge and runoff ratio. The following findings are obtained from the study. 1) Most of the rivers in the study watershed are seasonal rivers. Non-flow period of some rivers were shown for around five months from middle of December to early May. However the term of non-flow period varies much depending on characteristics of sub-watersheds. 2) Runoff ratio for 5 years from 2000 to 2004 in Offinso watershed which is a typical watershed in semi deciduous forest zone in Ghana was indicated only 12%. It ranges from 0.08 to 0.16 depending on the year. The monthly runoff ratio indicated little value in March, April and May which is beginning of rainy season and high value in November and December which is beginning of dry season. 3) The gentle slope area with less than 2%, which seems suitable area for lowland rice, occupies 22 % of inland valley.
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spelling CGSpace406052023-06-12T13:55:26Z Features of river flow in inland valleys in semi-deciduous forest zone in Ghana Fujii, H. Dawuni, B. Kulawardhana, Wasantha Thenkabail, Prasad S. Namara, Regassa E. watersheds rivers stream flow hydrology runoff forest land rice There are about 2.8 million ha of inland valleys in Ghana and 20 million ha of inland valley in West Africa. Although inland valleys are suitable for lowland rice due to the abundance of water resources and higher soil fertility compared with the upland, they have not been well utilized as agricultural land in West Africa. Further utilization of inland valley for lowland rice will improve the productivity of rice in West Africa. In this study water resources of small rivers in inland valleys in West Africa are evaluated. Two study watersheds with 1,400-1,500mm of annual rainfall in Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone in Ghana were selected and analyzed on slope distribution in the study watershed to grasp suitable area for lowland rice and on hydrological characteristics such as specific discharge and runoff ratio. The following findings are obtained from the study. 1) Most of the rivers in the study watershed are seasonal rivers. Non-flow period of some rivers were shown for around five months from middle of December to early May. However the term of non-flow period varies much depending on characteristics of sub-watersheds. 2) Runoff ratio for 5 years from 2000 to 2004 in Offinso watershed which is a typical watershed in semi deciduous forest zone in Ghana was indicated only 12%. It ranges from 0.08 to 0.16 depending on the year. The monthly runoff ratio indicated little value in March, April and May which is beginning of rainy season and high value in November and December which is beginning of dry season. 3) The gentle slope area with less than 2%, which seems suitable area for lowland rice, occupies 22 % of inland valley. 2009 2014-06-13T14:48:01Z 2014-06-13T14:48:01Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40605 en Limited Access Fujii, H.; Dawuni, B.; Kulawardhana, Wasantha; Thenkabail, P. S.; Namara, Regassa E. 2009. Features of river flow in inland valleys in semi-deciduous forest zone in Ghana. Transactions of the Japanese Society of Irrigation, Drainage and Rural Engineering, 77(6):637-644.
spellingShingle watersheds
rivers
stream flow
hydrology
runoff
forest land
rice
Fujii, H.
Dawuni, B.
Kulawardhana, Wasantha
Thenkabail, Prasad S.
Namara, Regassa E.
Features of river flow in inland valleys in semi-deciduous forest zone in Ghana
title Features of river flow in inland valleys in semi-deciduous forest zone in Ghana
title_full Features of river flow in inland valleys in semi-deciduous forest zone in Ghana
title_fullStr Features of river flow in inland valleys in semi-deciduous forest zone in Ghana
title_full_unstemmed Features of river flow in inland valleys in semi-deciduous forest zone in Ghana
title_short Features of river flow in inland valleys in semi-deciduous forest zone in Ghana
title_sort features of river flow in inland valleys in semi deciduous forest zone in ghana
topic watersheds
rivers
stream flow
hydrology
runoff
forest land
rice
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40605
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