Groundwater resource protection and spring restoration in Upper Jhelum Basin (UJB), western Himalayas

Abstract

Groundwater is a significant source of fresh and clean water to millions of people living in the Upper Jhelum Basin (UJB) of Kashmir, India. During the past two to three decades the decline of water table in the shallow aquifers led to a reduction of spring discharge and/or drying up of some springs and wells. In the present study, hydrogeological investigation was carried out to understand the causes and factors for drying up or attenuation of springs in alluvial aquifer(s) of the UJB. Exhaustive field campaigns were conducted in 2017 to collect field data and water samples were collected from tubewells, springs and streams for stable water isotopic analysis. The rampant excavation of riverbed minerals (sand and boulders) using high-tech machinery has intercepted the alluvial aquifers, which exacerbated the problem of water-table decline. The similar stable water isotopic composition of groundwater and stream water samples at certain locations indicates a good hydraulic connection exists between groundwater and stream water. The stable water isotopic composition also suggests that streams act as point sources of recharge at many locations. The results indicate that besides climate change, the shrinking of recharge areas (by constructing roads along stream banks, converting small ponds into cropland, etc.) and unplanned pumping are the dominant factors responsible for the drying up of the springs and wells in alluvial aquifers. The findings suggest that the aquifers and the springs can be restored by artificial recharge and by plugging the intercepted aquifers along river beds by construction of masonry check dams across the streams near the affected sites. These findings can help in restoration of groundwater level and lost springs across the Himalayas at local and regional scales.