Groundwater Potential Areas Research Articles

Geophysical evaluation of groundwater potential in part of southwestern Basement Complex terrain of Nigeria

The geophysical assessment of groundwater in Awa-Ilaporu, near Ago Iwoye southwestern Nigeria was carried out with the aim of delineating probable areas of high groundwater potential. The area falls within the Crystalline Basement Complex of southwestern Nigeria which is predominantly underlain by banded gneiss, granite gneiss and pegmatite. The geophysical investigation involves the very low frequency electromagnetic (VLF-EM) and Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) methods. The VLF-EM survey was at 10 m interval along eight traverses ranging between 290 and 700 m in length using ABEM WADI VLF-EM unit. The VLF-EM survey was used to delineate areas with conductive/fractured zones. Twenty-three VES surveys were carried out with the use of Campus Ohmega resistivity meter at different location and at locations areas delineated as high conductive areas by VLF-EM survey. The result of VLF-EM survey along its traverse was used in delineating high conductive/fractured zones, it is, however, in agreement with the delineation of the VES survey. The VES results showed 3–4 geoelectric layers inferred as sandy topsoil, sandy clay, clayey and fractured/fresh basement. The combination of these two methods, therefore, helped in resolving the prospecting location for the groundwater yield in the study area.

DELINEATION OF GROUNDWATER POTENTIAL ZONE IN THE INDO-GANGETIC PLAIN THROUGH GIS ANALYSIS

Water availability for domestic and irrigation purpose is the lifeline of the society and plays a dominant factor in the agriculture development of the country. Though Nepal is rich in water resources, nation-wide surface water irrigation network is yet to be established to meet the year round irrigation. The readily available shallow groundwater is considered as vital in meeting the domestic and irrigation water need. The shallow groundwater irrigation in the country has been emphasized and this system is contributing in the irrigation facility at present. Understanding the potential of shallow groundwater would support to further develop the shallow irrigation cluster wells in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. A systematic and comprehensive tube well database in GIS platform serves better for the groundwater potential delineation purpose. Thicknesses of aquifer material, well yield, hydraulic conductivity, water table are some of the decisive parameters for delineating the groundwater potential areas. However, all parameters are not always available. In such situation, the analysis can be performed with the thickness of aquifer material and yield of the well that are widely available in the reports of concerned organizations. Present study shows the GIS based analysis of aquifer parameters in one of the Terai districts of Nepal to delineate the shallow groundwater potential zones. The method adopted in the present study can be applied in other parts of the country, which would better serve for effective development planning and providing irrigation service to the farmers.Journal of Institute of Science and TechnologyVolume 22, Issue 1, July 2017, Page: 104-109

Evaluation of groundwater potential using geospatial techniques

The issue of unsustainable groundwater utilization is becoming increasingly an evident problem and the key concern for many developing countries. One of the problems is the absence of updated spatial information on the quantity and distribution of groundwater resource. Like the other developing countries, groundwater evaluation in Ethiopia has been usually conducted using field survey which is not feasible in terms of time and resource. This study was conducted in Northern Ethiopia, Wollo Zone, in Gerardo River Catchment district to spatially delineate the groundwater potential areas using geospatial and MCDA tools. To do so, eight major biophysical and environmental factors like geomorphology, lithology, slope, rainfall, land use land cover (LULC), soil, lineament density and drainage density were considered. The sources of these data were satellite image, digital elevation model (DEM), existing thematic maps and metrological station data. Landsat image was used in ERDAS Imagine to drive the LULC of the area, while the geomorphology, soil, and lithology of the area were identified and classified through field survey and digitized from existing maps using the ArcGIS software. The slope, lineament and drainage density of the area were derived from DEM using spatial analysis tools. The rainfall surface map was generated using the thissen polygon interpolation. Finally, after all these thematic maps were organized, weighted value determination for each factor and its field value was computed using IDRSI software. At last, all the factors were integrated together and computed the model using the weighted overlay so that potential groundwater areas were mapped. The findings depicted that the most potential groundwater areas are found in the central and eastern parts of the study area, while the northern and western parts of the Gerado River Catchment have poor potential of groundwater availability. This is mainly due to the cumulative effect of steep topographic and high drainage density. At last, once the potential groundwater areas were identified, cross validation of the resultant model was carefully carried out using existing data of dung wells and bore holes. The point data of dung wells and bore holes were overlaid on groundwater potential suitability map and coincide with the expected values. Generally, from this study, it can be concluded that RS and GIS with the help of MCDA are important tools in monitoring and evaluation of groundwater resource potential areas.

Integrated Hydrogeological and Hydrogeophysical Exploration for Groundwater in parts of Gidan-Kwano and Gidan-Mangoro, North-central Nigeria

The movement of Federal University of Technology, Minna to its permanent site, Gidan Kwano Campus has led to the growth and development of Gidan-Kwano and Gidan-Mangoro as well as increase in demand of water for drinking and domestic purposes. Vertical electrical sounding employing the Schlumberger electrode configuration was employed in this study to characterize the subsurface lithology and provide useful information on groundwater potential of the area. The vertical electrical sounding curves obtained from the area revealed three geo-electric layer characteristics of a basement complex terrain and comprises of top-soil layer, weathered/fractured basement and the fresh basement. The study area has been found to have a high potential for groundwater development. Evidence of deep weathering and fracturing (joints and faults) were observed during the geological mapping of the area. The Interpreted principal joint direction coincides with the direction of stream flow suggesting a structurally controlled drainage system in the area. It implies that the NNE-SSW fracturing system in the area controls the basement weathering as well as groundwater flow system in the area. These zones of deep weathering and basement fractures are high groundwater potential area.

A GIS based identification of groundwater recharge potential zones using RS and IF technique: a case study in Ottapidaram taluk, Tuticorin district, Tamil Nadu

This study is an approach to better estimate the groundwater recharge potential zones using geographical information system (GIS), influence factor and RS techniques. This concept has been applied in Ottapidaram taluk in Tuticorin district to determine the overall groundwater recharge potentiality. Survey of India toposheets and Indian Remote Sensing-1C satellite imageries are used to prepare various thematic layers such as: lithology, slope, land use, lineament, drainage, soil, and rainfall. These layers were then transformed into raster data using the feature to raster converter tool in ArcGIS 9.3 software. Subjective weights are assigned to the respective thematic layers and overlaid in GIS platform for the identification of potential groundwater zones within the study area. These potential zones were categorized as ‘high’, ‘moderate’, and ‘low’ zones with respect to the assigned weightage of different thematic layers. The results reveal that the areas of good groundwater potential are estimated to cover 260.25 km2 (35 % of the study area), moderate potential 297.43 km2 (40 %), and low potential 185 km2 (25 %). Moreover, only 34 % of the total average annual precipitated water (680 mm) percolates into subsurface and ultimately contributes to recharge the groundwater. These results suggest that the high potential zones will have a key role in future expansion of drinking water and irrigation development in the study area.

Integrated GIS and remote sensing for mapping groundwater potentiality in the Tulul al Ashaqif, Northeast Jordan

Jordan with its limited water resources is currently classified as one of the four water-poor countries worldwide. This study was initiated to explore groundwater potential areas in Tulul al Ashaqif area, Jordan, by integrating remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and multicriteria evaluation techniques. Eight thematic layers were built in a GIS and assigned using multicriteria evaluation techniques suitable weights and ratings regarding their relative contribution in groundwater occurrence. These layers include lithology, geomorphology, lineaments density, drainage density, soil texture, rainfall, elevation, and slope. The final groundwater potentiality map generated by GIS consists of five groundwater potentiality classes: very high, high, moderate, low, and very low. The map showed that the study area is generally of moderate groundwater potentiality (76.35 %). The very high and high potential classes occupy 2.2 and 12.75 % of study area, respectively. The validity of results of this GIS-based model was carried out by superimposing existing hand dug wells on the final map. The single parameter sensitivity test was conducted to assess the influence of the assigned weights on the groundwater potential model, and new effective weights were derived. The resulted groundwater potentiality map showed that the area occupied by each of the groundwater potentiality classes has changed. However, the study area remains generally of moderate groundwater potentiality (70.93 % of the study area). The area occupied by the very high and high potential classes comprises 4.53 and 18.56 % of the study area, respectively.

A GIS-based methodology to delineate potential areas for groundwater development: a case study from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

For an effective planning of activities aimed at recovering aquifer depletion and maintaining health of groundwater ecosystem, estimates of spatial distribution in groundwater storage volume would be useful. The estimated volume, if analyzed together with other hydrogeologic characteristics, may help delineate potential areas for groundwater development. This study proposes a GIS-based ARC model to delineate potential areas for groundwater development; where ‘A’ stands for groundwater availability, ‘R’ for groundwater release potential of soil matrix, and ‘C’ for cost for groundwater development. The model is illustrated with a case of the Kathmandu Valley in Central Nepal, where active discussions are going on to develop and implement groundwater management strategies. The study results show that shallow aquifers have high groundwater storage potential (compared to the deep) and favorable areas for groundwater development are concentrated at some particular areas in shallow and deep aquifers. The distribution of groundwater storage and potential areas for groundwater development are then mapped using GIS.

An Integrated Approach to Groundwater Exploration Using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System

In this study, an integrated approach was implemented using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing technique for locating promising areas for groundwater exploration. This method is based evaluating a set of hydrological, geological and topographical parameters that influence the natural occurrence of groundwater. As a result, a ground water potential map (GPM) was generated by modeling these parameters. Groundwater potential map results were classified into three classes that describe the potentiality of each cell in the study area for groundwater exploration. These classes are; high, moderate and low groundwater potential area. It was found that about 7% of the study was classified as high potential areas which were found to be concentrated in the western part of the study area. About 79% of the study was classified as moderate potential for groundwater exploration. The rest of the study area (14%) was classified as low potential areas and concentrated in northeast and southeast part of the study area. These results were verified against existing well data and field observations. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was performed to study the effect of each parameter on the overall groundwater map using the effective weight and variation index. It was found that the slope parameter was the most effective among the five used parameters in the model.

Groundwater potentiality mapping in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, using remote sensing and GIS-watershed-based modeling

Systematic planning for groundwater exploration using modern techniques is essential for the proper utilization, protection and management of this vital resource. Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images, a geographic information system (GIS), a watershed modeling system (WMS) and weighted spatial probability modeling (WSPM) were integrated to identify the groundwater potential areas in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Eight pertinent thematic layers were built in a GIS and assigned appropriate rankings. Layers considered were: rainfall, net groundwater recharge, lithology or infiltration, lineament density, slope, drainage density, depth to groundwater, and water quality. All these themes were assigned weights according to their relative importance to groundwater potentiality and their corresponding normalized weights were obtained based on their effectiveness factors. The groundwater potentiality map was finally produced by WSPM. This map comprises five gradational groundwater potentiality classes ranging from very high to very low. The validity of this unbiased GIS-based model was tested by correlating its results with the published hydrogeological map of Egypt and the actual borehole yields, where a concordant justification was reached. The map declared that the Sinai Peninsula is generally of moderate groundwater potentiality, where this class encompasses an area of 33,120 km2 which represents 52% of its total area.

Potensi air tanah di cekungan air tanah Sambas, Provinsi Kalimantan Barat

http://dx.doi.org/10.17014/ijog.vol3no4.20083The grouping of the groundwater potential of Sambas area using the quantity and quality matrix of those groundwater can be divided into three classes. First, high groundwater potential area distributed in the Jawai, Teluk Keramat, Sejangkung, and Sakura Sub-regencies. Second, the moderate groundwater potential area covers the Sambas and Tebas Sub-regencies. Third, the low groundwater potential area cov- ers the Sanggauledo and Seluas Sub-regencies.

Potensi air tanah di cekungan air tanah Sambas, Provinsi Kalimantan Barat

http://dx.doi.org/10.17014/ijog.vol3no4.20083The grouping of the groundwater potential of Sambas area using the quantity and quality matrix of those groundwater can be divided into three classes. First, high groundwater potential area distributed in the Jawai, Teluk Keramat, Sejangkung, and Sakura Sub-regencies. Second, the moderate groundwater potential area covers the Sambas and Tebas Sub-regencies. Third, the low groundwater potential area cov- ers the Sanggauledo and Seluas Sub-regencies.

Groundwater potential in the hard rock terrain of western ghats: A case study from Kottayam district, Kerala using resourcesat (IRS-P6) data and GIS techniques

The present study was aimed to identify and delineate the groundwater potential areas in parts of Western Ghats, Kottayam, covering the upper catchment of Meenachil river. The study area is composed rocks of Archaean age and Charnockite dominated over others. The information on lithology, geomorphology, lineaments, slope and land use/land cover was generated using the Resourcesat (IRS P6 LISS III) data and Survey of India (Sol) toposheets of scale 1:50,000 (surveyed in 1969) and integrated them with raster based Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify the groundwater potential of the study area. Thus, a GIS-based model which takes account of local condition/variations has been developed specifically for mapping groundwater potential. On the basis of hydrogeomorphology, three categories of groundwater potential zones namely good, moderate and poor were identified, and delineated. The high potential zones correspond to the fracture valleys, valley fills, pediments and denudational slope, which coincide with the low slope and high lineaments density areas. The low zone mainly comprise structural hills and escarpments and these act as run-off zones. The derived panchayath-wise groundwater potentiality information could be used for effective identification of suitable locations for extraction of potable water for rural populations.

Geological Controls on Groundwater Geochemistry in Butula Area, Busia District, Kenya

The geology of Butula area comprises mainly of rocks of the Archaean Greenstone belt of Western Kenya, especially the metavolcanics of the Nyanzian Group and the metasediments of Kavirondo Group both of which are intruded by the Mumias granite. High groundwater potential area is found within the Kavirondian sediments and the Mumias granite. Water rest levels in the wells within this area ranges in depth from 3.5-18.98m. The groundwater is slightly acidic, sodiumbicarbonate type. Iron and manganese were found to be in excess of the WHO recommended limits for potable water quality while fluoride was in relatively low amounts. PCA and factor analysis revealed that Ca, Cl, Conductivity, F and Fe are the major principal components that determine the groundwater chemistry in this area. It is established that the area is underlain by a single (1) groundwater field, and a significant component of the groundwater recharge is derived from outside the sutdy area. The waters are, in general, suitable for most purposes be it domestic, agricultural or industrial. (Af. J. of Science and Technology: 2002 3(2): 24-33)

Application of remote-sensing data to groundwater exploration: A case study of the Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria

The Cross River State, Nigeria, is underlain by the Precambrian-age crystalline basement complex and by rocks of Cretaceous to Tertiary age. The exploration for groundwater in this area requires a systematic technique in order to obtain optimum results, but the non-availability of funds and facilities has made it extremely difficult to carry out site investigations prior to the drilling of water wells. Therefore, the failure rate is as high as 80%. In order to delineate areas that are expected to be suitable for future groundwater development, black and white radar imagery and aerial photographs were used to define some hydrological and hydrogeological features in parts of the study area. Lineament and drainage patterns were analysed using length density and frequency. Lineament-length density ranges from 0.04–1.52; lineament frequency is 0.11–5.09; drainage-length density is 0.17–0.94, and the drainage frequency is 0.16–1.53. These range of values reflect the differences in the probability of groundwater potentials. Results were then used to delineate areas of high, medium, and low groundwater potential. Study results also indicate that correlations exist between lineament and drainage patterns, lithology, water temperature, water conductivity, well yield, transmissivity, longitudinal conductance, and the occurrence of groundwater.

Application of remote sensing technology for groundwater potential evaluation

With the help of the information drawn from a survey of India toposheet and by visual interpretation of satellite imagery of bands 2, 3 and 4, different thematic maps such as geomorphology and lineaments, drainage and land use, and land cover were prepared. These thematic maps have been superimposed and finally a groundwater potential zone map delineated on a survey of India toposheet. The whole block has been demarcated into 5 zones. Zones 1 and 2 are considered ideal groundwater potential areas, zone 3 is moderately ideal, and zones 4 and 5 are unfavourable for groundwater exploration. The validity of demarcation of the study area into different zones, as decided by remote sensing technology, has been justified by analysing the georesistivity sounding data of a number of places in this area. The net potential of the study area is estimated by GEC norm. It is observed that only 11.8% of annual utilisable groundwater is now used and there is vast scope of further exploitation of this resource.

Studies on the Processing of Remotely Sensed Data for Extracting the Groundwater Potential Area

The study is aimed at the development of processing methods of remotely sensed data from satellite for extraction of the groundwater potential areas. Analyses of the existing operational wells for groundwater supply indicate that 81 % of them are related with lineaments and 51 % of them are located at the intersections of lineaments. Thus the features of lineaments are considered to be one of the most important parameters to extract a high potential area of groundwater. Taking into account features of lineaments and also information obtained from geographic information system, high potential points for groundwater were extracted from landsat TM data based on the theory developed in the research, then verifications were made through actual boring. The result of verification indicates that 9 out of 18 points yield more 200 cubic meter/day which is the amount required from economical point of view for an operational use. Since actual boring was made not on the recommended points for 4 points which did not yield enough output due to difficulty of approach to the exact points and approval for boring could not be obtained the result might have been improved if the exact points were bored and if boring had been made deeper since the maximum depth of boring was limited to 62 meters.

岩盤地下水の存在可能域の抽出のためのリモートセンシングデータ処理法に関する研究

The study is aimed at the development of processing methods of remotely sensed data from satellite for extraction of the groundwater potential areas. Analyses of the existing operational wells for groundwater supply indicate that 81 % of them are related with lineaments and 51 % of them are located at the intersections of lineaments. Thus the features of lineaments are considered to be one of the most important parameters to extract a high potential area of groundwater. Taking into account features of lineaments and also information obtained from geographic information system, high potential points for groundwater were extracted from landsat TM data based on the theory developed in the research, then verifications were made through actual boring. The result of verification indicates that 9 out of 18 points yield more 200 cubic meter/day which is the amount required from economical point of view for an operational use. Since actual boring was made not on the recommended points for 4 points which did not yield enough output due to difficulty of approach to the exact points and approval for boring could not be obtained the result might have been improved if the exact points were bored and if boring had been made deeper since the maximum depth of boring was limited to 62 meters.

Hydrogeomorphic studies in Banaskantha and Mehsana districts (Gujarat) using Landsat data

A hydrogeomorphic approach is used in analyzing hydrologic conditions in the Mehsana and Banaskantha districts of Gujarat state. Using Landsat images, it was possible to delineate geological units, hydrogeomorphic features and vegetation density levels on a regional scale. A relationship between hydrogeomorphic features and vegetation density levels along with ground based hydrologic data was established in Mehsana district and the same was extended to the adjoining Banaskantha district. The ground water potential areas identified were from alluvium and piedmont zone. On the basis of different vegetation density levels, these areas were further subdivided into three different potential zones as regards the availability of groundwater viz. good, fair and poor. The applicability of the remotely sensed data has been found quite useful in quick identification of regional hydrogeomorphic setting of the area.