Understanding Land Use Planning and Sustainable Development from the Perspective of Smart Groundwater Monitoring

This conference paper attempts to put into perspective the issues with groundwater over abstraction in DRC in the context of land use and land cover. The mandatory vital data that is needed for successful monitoring of groundwater use is not provided by water customers. This has made it difficult to make decisions and conserve groundwater. Regarding methodology, mixed methods/methodological design and approach was used to achieve the research objectives. Two land cover maps for 2010, 2015 and 2020 were created, comparing the growth or decline of criteria such as vegetation, urban planning, agriculture, and other factors to determine the impact of urbanisation on Kimbanseke. The land cover maps for 2010, 2015 and 2020 were created using Landscapes 2010, 2015 and 2020. Using ArcGIS 10.5 software, the research region in Kimbanseke was retrieved from a Landsat picture and projected in the UTM 33 South zone for further examination, and data classification. In addition, using an android telephone and basic computer, well information, water levels and lithography related information such as soil formation were assembled and mapped out onto the GIS enabled layers/platform named LAAME for better spatial analysis. The findings from the land cover maps are that: increased urbanization in Kimbanseke is leading to increased water demand. From groundwater mapping and analysis, the Kimbanseke catchment has a fluctuating abstraction rate resulting from no clear monitoring mechanism. It is the recommendation of this research that the development appropriate hydrological based monitoring system using of factors such as land use and apps like LAAME be carried out for increased groundwater sustainability in Kimbanseke.