Usage of long-term river discharge data in water balance model for assessment of trends in basin storages

Abstract

Unsustainable utilization of the surface–subsurface water is responsible for the rapid depletion of the earth’s land–water storage. To assess the depletion rate, the water balance model is a universal approach, and suitable for any temporal and spatial scale. Through this study, we demonstrate the importance of river discharge data as a significant component of water balance model. In this regard, a water balance study is done to assess the depletion rate of basin water storage in the Ramganga river basin in India using the classified-archived river discharge data along with IMD rainfall and NTSG-Global ET dataset. The assessment has been done at three CWC hydro-meteorological sites: Moradabad, Bareilly, and Dabri. Trends and net change in basin water storages are estimated for the 1982–2013 period. The results suggest that long-term trends for basin water storages are declining continuously in the entire Ramganga river basin. The reasons for this decline appear to be anthropogenic activities, and resulting climate change.