Rainwater Harvesting Potential and Utilization for Artificial Recharge of Groundwater Using Recharge Wells

Fiaz Hussain,Riaz Hussain,Tanveer Abbas,Ray-Shyan Wu

doi:10.3390/pr7090623

Fiaz Hussain, Riaz Hussain + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/pr7090623

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Abstract

This study devised a practical solution to mitigate urban inundation and artificial recharge of groundwater using recharge wells which is the most viable surface runoff rainwater harvesting (RWH) technique in urban areas. The Rainwater Harvesting Pilot Project at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore was established to deal with urban flooding, artificial recharge of groundwater, and to avoid the mixing of rainwater in municipal sewerage. The study showed that Lahore city has great RWH potential from critical ponding roads that can be utilized to recharge the Lahore aquifer. With that ratio of recharge, the groundwater level can rise to 3.54 ft after every monsoon period if the same recharge wells structure are used, which is a key to groundwater sustainability in Lahore city. Moreover, the maximum recharging capacity of wells was 29.32 m3/h with satisfactory performance. Both recharge wells cleared the ponding volume within 3 to 3.5 h after the rainfall stopped. The filter media performance was also favorable with 25%–30% removal of contamination. All the water quality parameters were within the permissible limit against prescribed standards except coliform count that indicated the presence of sewage. In such a case the mixing of charcoal is recommended to shut up the coliform signals. This study identified that RWH using recharge wells is an alternative freshwater supply source for sustainable development of Lahore city and this technique should be the part of Master Planning and Policy Decision of Lahore as a suggestion.

Highlights

Water and roads are the lifelines of socio-economic and sustainable developments in urban areas.When the roads remain inundated for many hours due to heavy storm events this leads to massive traffic jams
This study identified that rainwater harvesting (RWH) using recharge wells is an alternative freshwater supply source for sustainable development of Lahore city and this technique should be the part of Master Planning and Policy Decision of Lahore as a suggestion
This study mainly focuses on Lahore city, the second-largest urban hub of Pakistan

Summary

Introduction

Water and roads are the lifelines of socio-economic and sustainable developments in urban areas.When the roads remain inundated for many hours due to heavy storm events this leads to massive traffic jams. According to the UN-HABITAT report on rainwater harvesting and utilization, more than half of population is going to be urbanized by 2025 and it will be a significantly challenging task for water managers and policymakers to provide adequate and equitable water supply to meet societal needs [1] These factors have pushed more efforts towards groundwater over-abstraction and exploitation due to its ubiquitous occurrence, easy availability, and reliability in urban areas. For a case in point, Pakistan’s big cities are facing such problems due to rapid population growth, along with urbanization, industrialization, agricultural intensification, and changing lifestyles This increasing demand of population cannot be met with scare surface water, which resulted in increased groundwater

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