New Dehli, India

Capacity Development and Objectives

The field training program in Dakar, Senegal, focused on building the capacity of UCAD students in using ground-based transient electromagnetic (TEM) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) methods for groundwater assessment and managed aquifer recharge (MAR) planning.

tTEM survey setup — Figure 1: Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Dakar.

Soil sampling — Figure 2: Students learning about petrophysics during the classroom session.

Community workshop — Figure 3: Students learning ERT setup and data acquisition during the outdoor session.

Field overview — Figure 4: Students conducting ERT training in the field outside the city.

Regional Context and Challenges

Groundwater in Dakar-Thiès-Mbour is under increasing pressure from rapid urbanization, saltwater intrusion, and declining recharge. Thick unsaturated zones, variable lithology, and limited borehole control complicate hydrogeological characterization. The integration of TEM and ERT provides a unique opportunity to visualize subsurface structures, identify saline zones, and assess the feasibility of MAR interventions at both local and regional scales.

Training Approach and Field Demonstration

The course combined theory sessions, field demonstrations, and data interpretation exercises. Group discussions focused on correlating resistivity structures with aquifer units, identifying clay confining layers, and assessing recharge pathways.

Outcomes and Future Applications

The training enhanced participants' technical skills in survey planning, data acquisition, inversion, and interpretation for groundwater applications. By linking geophysical mapping to practical groundwater management, the program demonstrated how TEM and ERT can help:

Delineate aquifer boundaries and saline intrusion fronts
Support the design of MAR pilot sites
Improve well-siting and protection strategies
Build national capacity for long-term monitoring and data integration