Abstract
The karst hills of Gombong Selatan have abundant potential water resources, especially in locations that have underground springs and rivers. The connectivity between the subsurface passageways that is difficult to know can threaten the potential of water resources, one of which is due to pollution caused by uncontrolled human activities. Therefore, identification of catchment systems and boundaries of water catchment areas in karst aquifers is needed that can contribute to sustainable water resources management policies. This catchment identification needs to be conducted because previous studies have never explored the eastern side of this karst area. This study aims to (1) define the underground river flow connectivity (upstream-downstream) of Banteng Cave; and (2) limiting the water catchment area of Banteng Cave. The method used to determine the subsurface connectivity system was carried out through an artificial tracer test, while the catchment area was delineated using a water balance approach. The results showed that the underground river of Banteng Cave has connectivity with Lake Blembeng, as evidenced by a change in watercolour after the tracer test and breakthrough curve (BTC) analysis of the tracing test results. BTC analysis shows that the Banteng Cave passageway has one main passage and does not have a tunnel branch. The estimated area of the Banteng Cave catchment used a water balance approach, which is 141.73 hectares. The Banteng Cave karst catchment conditions are dominated by the formation of valleys and karst cones accompanied by the appearance of valleys and karst hills that are quite evenly distributed, indicating that the Banteng Cave karst catchment is included in the advanced karst development phase. Furthermore, this research contributes significantly to increase knowledge regarding the characteristics of void karst development in aquifers which in the future are very important for determining water resources management policies.
Highlights
Karst is a landscape that undergoes a more dominant process of dissolving rocks than other landforms
Tracing tests in this study were initiated by installing a fluorometer type GGUN FL30 in Banteng Cave as a monitoring location, which was poured into the Surupan Cave, which is the outlet of Blembeng Lake
The connectivity between the underground river flows of Blembeng Lake-Banteng Cave has been proven through tracing tests
Summary
Karst is a landscape that undergoes a more dominant process of dissolving rocks than other landforms. The complex interaction process between soluble rock, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and water flow makes karst landscapes distinctive [1]. The uniqueness of the karst area is characterized by the presence of eksokarst and endokarst phenomena. Gombong Selatan has various landscape conditions as a form of the influence of the geology of its constituents and its hydrological system. One of the landscapes in Gombong Selatan is the karst landscape. The Karst Gombong Selatan area has the potential for water resources in underground rivers, in watery caves and often appear as springs. It is recorded that there are 63 caves and springs scattered throughout this karst area [3]
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