Evaluating the impact of artificial groundwater recharge structures using geo-spatial techniques in the hard-rock terrain of Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Groundwater levels in hard-rock areas in India have shown very large declines in the recent past. The situation is becoming more critical due to a paucity of rainfall, limited surface water resources and an increasing pattern of groundwater extraction in these areas. Consequently, the Ground Water Department with the aid of World Bank has implemented the water structuring programme to mitigate groundwater scarcity and to develop a viable solution for sustainable development in the region. The present study has been undertaken to assess the impact of artificial groundwater recharge structures in the hard-rock area of Rajasthan, India. In this study groundwater level data (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon) of 85 dug-wells are used, spread over an area of 413.59 km2. The weathered and fractured gneissic basement rocks act as major aquifer in the area. Spatial maps for pre- and post-monsoon groundwater levels were prepared using the kriging interpolation technique with best fitted semi-variogram models (Spherical, Exponential and Gaussian). The groundwater recharge is calculated spatially using the water level fluctuation method. The entire study period (2004–2011) is divided into pre- (2004–2008) and post-intervention (2009–2011) periods. Based on the identical nature of total monsoon rainfall, two combinations of average (2007 and 2009) and more than average (2006 and 2010) rainfall years are selected from the pre- and post-intervention periods for further comparisons. All of the water harvesting structures are grouped into the following categories: as anicuts (masonry overflow structure); percolation tanks; subsurface barriers; and renovation of earthen ponds/nadis. A buffer of 100 m around the intervention site is taken for assessing the influence of these structures on groundwater recharge. The relationship between the monsoon rainfall and groundwater recharge is fitted by power and exponential functions for the periods of 2004–2008 and 2008–2011 with R 2 values of 0.95 and 0.98, respectively. The average groundwater recharge is found to be 18% of total monsoon rainfall prior to intervention and it became 28% during the post-intervention period. About 70.9% (293.43 km2) of the area during average rainfall and more than 95% (396.26 km2) of the area during above-average rainfalls show an increase in groundwater recharge after construction of water harvesting structures. The groundwater recharge pattern indicates a positive impact within the vicinity of intervention sites during both average and above-average rainfall. The anicuts are found to be the most effective recharge structures during periods of above-average rainfall, while subsurface barriers are responded well during average rainfall periods. In the hard-rock terrain, water harvesting structures produce significant increases in groundwater recharge. The geo-spatial techniques that are used are effective for evaluating the response of different artificial groundwater recharge techniques.