Water Table Depletion Research Articles

Quantifying land subsidence and its nexus with groundwater depletion in isfahan-borkhar plain: An integrated approach using radar interferometry and spatial bivariate relationships

Land subsidence has emerged as a significant global concern, particularly in arid regions like Iran. Among these vulnerable areas, the Isfahan-Borkhar plain stands out due to its strategic importance and critical high-population settlements. In this study, we focus specifically on land subsidence within this plain. This study specifically examines land subsidence in this plain. Utilizing the precise radar interferometry technique, considered the most accurate method, this study investigates the vertical changes of the Earth's surface in the Isfahan-Borkhar plain between 2015 and 2022 by analyzing Sentinel-1 satellite data. To establish causality, we correlate these subsidence patterns with spatial water extraction data, employing a spatial bivariate relationship model. The results obtained from this seven-year monitoring period reveal that average annual subsidence in different areas of the Isfahan-Borkhar plain ranges from 25 to 45 cm, while the average annual decline in the water table in this aquifer is 230 cm. The pronounced subsidence observed aligns with areas experiencing the highest water level decline, emphasizing the critical role of water table depletion. In summary, our study underscores the need for sustainable water management practices to mitigate land subsidence risks in this strategically vital region.

Groundwater Marketing Dynamics in Northern Dry Zone Farms of Karnataka: A Comparative Study (2006 to 2021)

Groundwater is an essential resource, but it is becoming increasingly scarce and depleting rapidly, particularly in Karnataka. As a result, groundwater markets have emerged as an alternative strategy to manage this limited resource more efficiently and equitably. These markets enable farmers who cannot afford water extraction machinery to access irrigation. This article, aims to study present status of groundwater markets, temporal depletion of water table, groundwater security, economics and factors affecting water trade in Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka, mainly to compare with the results obtained in the past study [1] to analyze changes in scenario and have historical lessons. Multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select farmers, who were then categorized into water sellers, self-users, and buyers. Primary data was collected through a structured, pre-tested schedule and analysed using descriptive and logit regression analysis. Results show that unlike earlier study, buyers in present study owned wells. Depth of borewells has increased (overall 44%), resulting in increased drilling, deepening, and pumping costs. Very few farmers (8%) acknowledged over-extraction from their farms could also contribute to groundwater insecurity. While studying economics it was found that perennial crops had the highest economic rents (260, 610Rs/hr for sellers and buyers).Reason for participation in water market has shifted from no investment capacity to water scarcity compared to earlier study. So farmers could be motivated to participate in water markets instead of relying on new wells during water shortages to encourage optimal water use and reduce negative externalities like increasing wells.

Environmental Crisis in Punjab in Context of Agriculture: Role of the State and Central Government

Punjab holds an important position in India. The green revolution has resulted in remarkable growth rates in agricultural productivity and output in the state of Punjab. However, Punjab has to cope with the issue of declining soil health, rapidly growing micronutrient deficiencies, and alarming water table depletion as a result of the adoption of intensive technologies. In the state, the green revolution brought about a number of issues that have now come to light. The major deleterious effects have been on our environment, as a result of which the natural balance has been disrupted. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers resulted in degradation of soil health. Similarly, the overuse of pesticides is responsible for contamination of air and water bodies. Burning of paddy stubble also a serious issue in the state. The present paper examines the environmental crisis related to agriculture in the state. The role of central and state government to deal with this issue is also analysed.

Impact of Water Scarcity on Domestic Water Use in Drought-prone Barind Tract, Bangladesh: A Sociological Perspective

The Barind tract (northwest part of Bangladesh) is facing the prevailing disaster of drought due to extreme climatic conditions, including low rainfall. This research attempts to measure the character of the domestic water crisis and the adaptation capacity of the drought-affected Barind people. It also investigates the impact of climate-induced water scarcity on the socioeconomic livelihood of respondents in two villages of the Tanore sub-district in Rajshahi district, which is the most drought-prone area in the Barind tract. In the study area, face-to-face interviews (n = 246) through a structured questionnaire with the respondents of two villages were conducted in an affable environment to collect primary (quantitative) data. In-depth interviews were also conducted with two farmers to collect qualitative data for the study. So it is mixed-method research. All the gathered data were examined using Atlas TI, SPSS, and GIS software. The results of this research show an extended scenario of excessive use of groundwater for domestic purposes due to water table depletion. It presents a portfolio of the sufferings of domestic water users in the study area, not only during the load-shedding period but also during the lack of technical support. Few people are bound to use more contaminated pond water for applying artificial fish feed. Poor inhabitants who depend on others for domestic water are facing more critical conditions due to the inability to install deep-tube wells at a higher cost. As a result, people need to move further away to collect fresh groundwater for domestic use.

Conventional and contemporary approaches for drought tolerance rice breeding: Progress and prospects

AbstractDrought is becoming a major threat to rice farming across the globe owing to the depletion of water tables in rice‐growing belts. Drought affects rice plants at multiple stages, causing damage at morphological and physio‐biochemical levels, leading to severe losses that exceed losses from all other stresses. The amalgamation of conventional breeding methods with modern molecular biology tools and biometrical methods could help accelerate the genetic gain for drought tolerance in rice. Many drought‐tolerance traits with genetic determinants have been identified and exploited for tolerance rice variety breeding. The integration of genome‐wide association study and genomic selection tools with speed breeding shortened the breeding cycle and aided in rapid improvement of genetic gain. In this review, we emphasized the progress made through classical breeding as well as the limitations and usefulness of current genomic methods in improving drought tolerance. We briefly addressed methods for identifying genetic determinants for drought tolerance and deploying them through genomics‐assisted breeding programmes to develop high‐yielding drought‐tolerant rice cultivars.

Smart construction material: Utilization of M−sand to mitigate environmental pollution and generalized mix design thereof

The insufficiency of conservative materials like cement, sand and aggregates becomes the main critical problem in civil engineering domain among the higher demand of best quality control infrastructure. This research paper is emphasized on fine aggregates (sand). Sand which is dredged from the river bank is unfavorable in favor of the environment due to the depletion of underground surface water table near the surface zone which included soil and rocks permanent saturation under the water. In this regard an experimental research has been conducted on M−Sand. The mix design procedure only with M−Sand has not been described in any design codes even for distinct value percentage of M−sand and grade of concrete. A generalized mix design procedure is developed here for 50% river sand and 50% M−sand to increase or decrease the quantity of M−sand in nearby future. A parametric study has been carried out for distinct value percentages of M−Sand. In this paper to show the impact of M−sand on river sand a mix design tests of M−25 grade concrete including river sand and replacement M−Sand as a fine aggregate in distinct values of i.e. 0.0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 80% & 100% ratios have been conducted. It is observed that almost mechanical-chemical characteristics of river bank sand and crushed stone (manufactured) M−Sand are similar. Results are described here in graphical form to show the influence of M−sand and it is concluded that M−Sand can be utilized as a partial or completely replacement material in place of river sand with high compressive, tensile and flexural strengths of concrete cubes, cylindrical and beam specimens respectively. Results revels positive response to use M−sand to mitigate the environmental pollution.

An Investigation of Recharging Groundwater Levels through River Ponding: New Strategy for Water Management in Sutlej River

Groundwater is an essential water resource in the current era, and studying its sustainability and management is highly necessary nowadays. In the current area of research interest, the reduced mean annual Sutlej River flow, the increase in the population/built-up areas, and enhanced groundwater abstractions have reduced groundwater recharge. To address this issue, groundwater recharge modeling through ponding of the Sutlej River was carried out using a modular three-dimensional finite-difference groundwater flow model (MODFLOW) in a 400 km2 area adjacent to Sutlej River. The mean historical water table decline rate in the study area is 139 mm/year. The population and urbanization rates have increased by 2.23 and 1.62% per year in the last 8 years. Domestic and agricultural groundwater abstraction are increasing by 1.15–1.30% per year. Abstraction from wells and recharge from the river, the Fordwah Canal, and rainfall were modeled in MODFLOW, which was calibrated and validated using observed data for 3 years. The model results show that the study area’s average water table depletion rate will be 201 mm/year for 20 years. The model was re-run for this scenario, providing river ponding levels of 148–151 m. The model results depict that the water table adjacent to the river will rise by 3–5 m, and average water table depletion is expected to be reduced to 151 to 95 mm/year. The model results reveal that for ponding levels of 148–151 m, storage capacity varies from 26.5–153 Mm3, contributing a recharge of 7.91–12.50 million gallons per day (MGD), and benefiting a 27,650–32,100-acre area; this means that for areas benefitted by dam recharge, the groundwater abstraction rate will remain sustainable for more than 50 years, and for the overall study area, it will remain sustainable for 7–12.3 years. Considering the current water balance, a recharging mechanism, i.e., ponding in the river through the dam, is recommended for sustainable groundwater abstraction.

Revisiting the IWT for technical gaps and climate change vulnerability: a policy perspective from Pakistan

The history of India-Pakistan relations has been brimming with squabbles and conflicts since their separation in 1947. Except for the significant and lasting Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 for sharing river waters, little-to-none economic cooperation has taken place between the two riparian states. This paper analyses some noticeable gaps that have rendered this treaty obsolete such as the escalating influence of climatic changes on water resources of the region and some other shortcomings, namely the possible limits of shared water usage, unrestricted use of shared waters for power generation, rerouting of water, and the lack of synergistic projects. Moreover, due to the exponential increase in water and energy demand along with the aggravating depletion of water tables in Pakistan, the treaty is failing to secure the combined water resources of the Indus river basin. This study presents the policy perspective to guide future endeavours, ensuring the treaty’s survival as it needs the necessary adjustments to enhance the socio-economic cooperation between India and Pakistan, put in place the collective efforts for mitigation of risks posed by climate-induced disasters, and improve the management of water resources for collaborative development.

Analysis Of Phytoremediation Techniques As A Methodology For Removal Of Organic Pollutants From Water

The wastewater treatment and its purification has been one of the key areas of focused research along with a critical demand keeping in view the current status of water table depletion and pollution. The purification of wastewater to be recycled for usage poses a practical solution which can be achieved through the phytoremediation techniques. The utilization of phytoactive plants to remove the organic pollutants from water using the phytodegradation and phytoextraction approaches through Eichhornia crassipes , an aquatic plant, commonly known as water hyacinth has yielded potentially significant results in water quality testing for wastewater recycling. This research targets the analysis of usage of species E. crassipes for removal of organic pollutants through the water and plant analysis with clear benefits of being non-intrusive, higher filtration capacity and cost effective in developing countries. The implementation of phytoremediation techniques with combined crude industrial approaches of decreasing wastewater production will result in effective reduction in water wastage and deprivation. The acceptance of green technologies in the public domain remains a crucial step in the implementation of this research.

Steady declining trend of groundwater table and severe water crisis in unconfined hard rock aquifers in extended part of Chota Nagpur Plateau, India

Scarcity of groundwater is a severe problem in this region due to over exploitation of groundwater from unconfined hard rock aquifers. The main objectives of this study are to analyse the spatiotemporal variability and fluctuation of groundwater table and to predict the location of groundwater depression pockets. Total 21 consecutive years (1996–2017) groundwater monitoring well data (pre- and post-monsoon) have been collected from CGWB, Government of India. The nonparametric Mann–Kendall trend analysis and standardized precipitation index (SPI) have been applied to detect the trend of groundwater level and rainfall variability, respectively. Exponential smoothing has also been fitted for future prediction. The pre- and post-monsoon results (1996–2017) showed that around 77% (22 stations) and 78% (23) monitoring stations were indicating declining trend of groundwater table at the rate of −0.006 to −0.205 m/year and −0.005 to −0.192 m/year, respectively. Similarly, future (2040) groundwater depression result predicted that around 75% (21) stations, the groundwater table will be depleted above 5 m during pre-monsoon while about 53% (16 stations) monitoring wells, the groundwater table will be fallen above 5 m during post-monsoon. Consequently, around 52% (15) and 50% (14) stations are being faced groundwater drought in the recurrent interval of above 2 years during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, respectively. Driving factors of water table depletion are huge withdrawal of groundwater for dry farming and reduction of recharge areas due to rapid land use modification. The uniqueness of this study exhibits the nature of declining trend of groundwater table and identification of depression pockets.

Irrigation in India: Status and challenges

The quality and quantity of irrigation water is most important issue for agriculture dominated country like India. Agriculture is the largest consumer sector of water and India is second highest irrigated country of the world, but over exploitation of groundwater and intensive irrigation in canal commands areas has created many serious problems like salinization, depletion of water tables, groundwater contamination, drying of aquifers, water logging and etc. It has been observed that in many parts of the country the water table is reducing with the rate of 1-2 m/year. The fresh water availability for domestic purpose, irrigation and industrial uses are decreasing with an alarming rate and if this problem not taken seriously, India mayface major water crisis in the near future. This paper highlights present scenario of irrigation in India with its major challenges.

Appraisal of groundwater potentiality of multilayer alluvial aquifers of the Varuna river basin, India, using two concurrent methods of MCDM

An approach has been made in this study to delineate the groundwater potential zones of the Varuna river basin, Uttar Pradesh, India, using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-influence factor (MIF) techniques. The present groundwater estimation exhibits an increase in the draft (10%) due to expansion in population, agricultural extent, and industrialization, which ultimately causes water table depletion. This backdrop justifies the need for this particular analysis in the multilayer aquifers of the central alluvial zone. The shallow aquifers are silty and unconfined, whereas the deeper aquifers are coarse, sandy-gravelly, and semi-confined. Basement faults and highs often control the thickness of aquifers in the subsurface. The study considered an integrated approach of AHP and MIF methods with remote sensing and GIS approaches. Various themes (land use/land cover (LULC), soil type, geology, elevation, slope, rainfall, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), drainage density, recharge rate, groundwater depth) determined by considering different conditioning factors and eventually employed for computation of groundwater potential index (GWPI) and classified for identifying the groundwater potential zones (GWPZ). Two methods applied to capture the results in a more tangible form as the AHP model works on building a pair-wise comparison matrix to relate conditioning factors to each other. Still, the MIF model considered interrelations among the conditioning factors. The GWPZ of the study area generates with overlay weighted sum method by integrating all thematic layers. The resulting groundwater potential index map is categorized into three groundwater potential zones, namely good, moderate, and poor. Ultimately, by constructing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for both the groundwater potential models, determine the efficiency of performances and the GWPZ map validated using yield data collected from wells scattered over the study area. The findings of the present paper have important implications for ensuring exploration and sustainability groundwater plans in that particular area.

Farmer's opinion about crop diversification in Punjab

Rice-wheat monoculture occupies more than 77 per cent of Punjab's net cropped area which is leading to many issues like water table depletion, exhaustion of soil with saturation in yield and decrease in productivity factor, thus making crop diversification essential for Punjab, which is a leading agrarian state in India. There is need to shift new production profile in Punjab, so the farmer needs to diversify their crop base. The present study was carried out with the objective to know the opinion of farmers in Punjab regarding crop diversification. The study constituted total 252 respondents, out of which 72 were adopters and 180 were non-adopters of crop diversification. The findings highlighted that majority of the respondents opined that crop diversification helped in increase net return, enhances ground water table, raise nutritional value in our daily diet, to control various insects’ pests, diseases, weed problems and enhances sustainable agriculture. Majority of non-adopterspreferred to grow Maize- wheat, Maize-wheat-bajra, and basmati-wheat rotationsin place ofrice-wheat.

True cost of coal: coal mining industry and its associated environmental impacts on water resource development

Coal is a strategic and essential resource that ensures quality of life, energy security and sustainable development. Being the cheapest source of energy, it is the second after oil that is used to generate 40% of the world's electricity. However, traditional and conventional coal fuel extraction can threaten human health bycontaminating air and water, harming land, and contributing to global warming. The environmental impacts associated with conventional methods of coal mining and consumption can affect all components of the environment, and these impacts may be beneficial or harmful, permanent or temporary, repairable or irreparable, and reversible or irreversible in nature. These effects require considering of changing the production and consumption of coalwithin a technological framework. Coal mining operationscan cause both quantitative and qualitative impacts on water systems in and around mining areas. This paper reviews the impacts of coal mining on water resource development. Land subsidence, disruption of hydrological channels, flooding, and contamination of water resources and depletion of water table are the major measurable impacts of mining activity on the hydrological environment.

Performance evaluation of solar PV pumping system for providing irrigation through micro-irrigation techniques using surface water resources in hot arid region of India

Solar PV pumping system for irrigation purpose has been gained importance in recent times considering its environmental friendly characteristics and to reduce the dependency on fossil fuel based energy sources for pumping. In general, 3 HP and 5 HP capacity solar PV pumping systems are used for irrigation purpose in India. However, large capacity pumps are often also used to lift groundwater resources, which may lead to further depletion of ground water table. Keeping in mind these constraints, performance of small sized solar PV pumps of 1 HP capacity was evaluated to lift and irrigate shallow water resources using pressurized irrigation systems. Experimental observations revealed that 1 HP solar PV pumping system either AC or DC type could successfully be used to operate mini-sprinklers, micro-sprinklers and drippers with good irrigation uniformity. Further, a self-sustainable module for sustainable use of water and energy was designed in which both water and energy are harvested and recycled. Life cycle cost analysis showed that 1 HP (DC) solar PV pumping system was slightly cheaper than corresponding AC pumping system. Even, the carbon footprint of 1 HP solar PV pumping systems is quite lower (0.009 kg CO2-eq ha-mm−1) than grid-connected electric pumps (1.214 kg CO2-eq ha-mm−1) and diesel operated pumps (0.382 kg CO2-eq ha-mm−1). Therefore, 1 HP solar PV pumping systems could be a feasible solution for small and marginal farmers in the context of water scarcity situation in near future and to mitigate the climate change effects in agricultural farms.

Groundwater Resources Management of the Shallow Groundwater Aquifer in the Desert Fringes of El Beheira Governorate, Egypt

Groundwater resources management is a master key for sustainable development of any region especially for agricultural, domestic, industrial and economic stability in the arid and semiarid regions. The study area is an important portion of the Egyptian desert fringes, where the groundwater in the shallow aquifer is started for exploitation since 30 years ago. Most of the groundwater wells were drilled randomly regardless of the hydrological rules such as well radius of influence and interference of cones of depressions, well losses and formation losses, which leads to the noteworthy drawdown of the water table and salinity enhancement. Hence, the main objective of this study is an attempt to draw a management road map of the shallow groundwater aquifer to avoid the depletion of water table and deterioration of water quality. In this study, all the hydrological parameters of the shallow confined to semi-confined aquifer were measured and calculated (~ 30 wells). The hydrological parameters (aquifer thickness, depth to water, water table and drawdown, transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, well losses, formation losses and radius interference) between the pumping wells are based on the analyses of long duration and step-test pumping for 30 wells. The main findings in this study show that the drawdown ranges between 3.2 and 19.1 m, TDS ranges from 320 to 2970 mg/l, and the calculated radius interference between the drilled wells should not be less than about 350 m. In addition, efficiency of the wells ranges between 15.1 and 99%. Also, results show that 73% of the study wells are good to excellent efficiency, while about 27% of the wells have low values of efficiency which need a considerable management strategy.

Analysis of Rainfall Variability on the Groundwater Levels of Wells in the Nouaho Basin in East-Central Burkina Faso

Sahelian countries are confronted with a lack of reliable data on water and climate allowing them to understand the effects of climate variability. To address this situation, with the support of Water Aid, we have collected rainfall data and groundwater level in wells from 2012 to 2018 with help of local populations. Their contribution made it possible to cover a wider geographical area and to obtain the data necessary to analyze the climate variability on a small and large scale in the sub-basin of the Nouhao. The data collected are well correlated with those collected from the rain gauges of the national meteorological agency in the region of Fada N’Gourma. From 2012 to 2018, August appears to be the rainiest month. It recorded, alone, 1/3 of the average annual rainfall. The depletion of surface water tables is faster after the rainy season. The static level of the water table in the crystalline subsoil also depletes and replenishes at night after the peak water collection time, which is between noon and 8 p.m. These few years of measuring rainfall and groundwater fluctuations have shown that the correlation between rainfall and groundwater level is clearly established. Nevertheless this needs to be more investigated during a longer period to confirm the robustness of the method. On the other hand, the approach to securing water resources based on community monitoring of water resources gives good results in accordance with the National Meteorological Agency and the Directorate of water resources, however, caution recommends continuing measurements over a few decades to confirm its robustness for this aspect too.

An Unsaturated/Saturated Coupled Hydrogeological Model for the Llamara Salt Flat, Chile, to Investigate Prosopis tamarugo Survival

The Propopis tamarugo Phil, also known as Tamarugo, is an endemic and protected tree that survives in the Atacama Desert—a hyper arid and highly saline environment. The Tamarugo is threatened because of groundwater overexploitation, and its preservation depends on the soil moisture in the vadose zone, as many of the tree roots do not reach the current water table levels. To improve the estimation of soil moisture available for the Tamarugo trees, we applied a hydrogeological model that couples the unsaturated and saturated zones. The model was used to represent different groundwater exploitation and recharge scenarios between February 2006 and September 2030 to predict simultaneously groundwater levels and soil moisture. The model results show that even at locations where water table depletion is relatively small (~1–1.5 m), soil moisture can drastically decrease (0.25–0.30 m3/m3). Therefore, Tamarugo survival can be better addressed, as the applied model provides a management tool to estimate response of Tamarugo trees to changing soil moisture. To further improve the model and its use to assess Tamarugo survival, more field data, such as soil hydrodynamic properties and soil moisture, should be collected. Additionally, relationships between the state of the Tamarugo trees and soil moisture should be further constructed. In this way, the developed model will be able to predict future conditions associated to the Tamarugo’s health state.

Effect on Mechanical Properties of M35 Grade Concrete by Partial Replacement of Fine Aggregate with Copper Slag .

In present situation, fast urbanization has made a gigantic interest for regular sand consequently made it considerably more costly. Excess extraction of sand ,trending not only depletion of water table but also streams and rivers are diverting in their direction which leads to floods. Elective materials in all types of constructions are acquainted with decrease the weight on normal materials, further maintaining the economical status of project. While additionally dealing with the encompassing condition. Squander Materials like Copper Slag, Flyash, Carbonate Sand, stone residue and so forth having silica sythesis (SiO2) could be utilized as a substitution for Fine aggregate in a concrete mix. In the process of manufacturing copper the bi-product Copper slag is produced in an heavy quantity. Copper slag has an high specific gravity and has glassy granular texture. Copper slag contains the same particle sizes as of fine aggregate so that it can be used as a replacement for fine aggregate in concrete mix. Here in this paper the main objective is to consider the utilization of Copper slag as an elective substitution material of Fine aggregate. Additionally examines the after effect of substitution of Fine aggregate with Copper slag on mechanical characteristics of cement concrete such as Compressive strength and Flexural strength.

Strategic Ground Water Management Planning for Rice Field in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a land of agriculture and attain near self-sufficiency in rice production. In terms of rice, national output increased over 15 million tons in the last two decades. For obtaining this self sufficiency, groundwater accessibility is continuously increasing that results in expansion of deep and shallow tube wells. Available evidence suggests that the policy focus so far has been largely on “resource development”, and not on “resource management”. This has resulted in serious problems, most notably excessive drawdown in intensively irrigated areas, and the deterioration of groundwater quality. Due to this, an extensive field survey was carried out in Rangpur division (Country’s Northern part) during the year of 2018 to observe the ground water table depletion status in rice field and set up some top most strategies for reviving these problems in a sustainable way. It can be suggested that attention must be given to the development and management of surface water resources to ease pressure on groundwater. Apart from that, focus should be given on optimizing crop water demand through increasing water use efficiency by adopting water conserving management strategies and practices. As per authors’ suggestion, 6 basic strategies can be taken for long term sustainability of ground water management in Rangpur division. The strategies are: 1) Initiate right choice of rice varieties for the season 2) Implement modern water management technology (alternate wetting and drying (AWD), cut off Ratio) 3) Adopting Irrigation scheduling 4) Introduce organic fertilization 5) Apply rain water harvesting and 6) reservoir management.