Groundwater Recharge Potential Zones Research Articles

Multiple thematic spatial integration technique to identify the groundwater recharge potential zones—a case study along the Courtallam region, Tamil Nadu, India

The irregular monsoonal rainfall and overexploitation of groundwater have resulted in the sharp decline of water resources in different parts across India. Various factors like geology, terrain morphology, hydrology, and hydrometeorology influence the recharge potentiality of a region. Application of remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) tools might be effective in the delineation of groundwater recharge potential zones and help towards the sustainability of groundwater resources. In this study, it was attempted to identify the groundwater recharge potential zones in the Courtallam region located at Tamil Nadu state of South India by integrating multiple thematic layers involving lithology, geomorphology, land use/land cover, slope, lineament density, drainage density, and the spatial distribution of groundwater level and rainfall through weighted overlay analysis in Arc GIS. The recharge potential was compared with the electrical conductivity of groundwater for evaluating the water quality. It was characterized the groundwater recharge potential of the study area as very poor (8.7%), poor (32.5%), moderate (37%), good (16.3%), and very good (5.5%). one-third of this area has moderate groundwater recharge potentiality and the southeastern part of the study area with good quality of water is feasible for new bore-well construction.

Impact of urbanization on land use and land cover change in Guwahati city, India and its implication on declining groundwater level

Urban environment continues to expand at an unprecedented rate to meet the demand of increasing population and economic development. The resulting changes to landscapes have increased stress to hydrological cycles, biogeochemical processes, and environmental sustainability of natural resources. This study evaluated spatio-temporal changes of land use and land cover (LULC) between 1990 and 2020 in Guwahati city, India. Time-series Landsat satellite images were analyzed using supervised classification schemes followed by quantification of LULC change over time. Five broad LULC classes were identified on the basis of spectral reflectance signature. Confusion matrix determined high classification accuracy with Kappa Coefficient >0.81 in all cases. The results showed that the urban built environment has doubled in area in 30 years (1990–2020). The urban environments have increased at the expense of vegetation, fallow land, and open areas and to some extent wetlands. Notably, the expansions of urban areas have taken place from city center to the south, to the south-east, and along the east-west National Highway 37 connecting other NE States of India. There is no clear indication of change in the amount of precipitation in response to urbanization. However, analysis of long-term groundwater level data suggests a steady decline in the depth to groundwater level. The declining trend is attributed to urbanization and population growth. The increase in impervious surface coverage due to urbanization have extensively reduced the areas of high potential groundwater recharge zones and thereby dropping the level of groundwater in the wells.

Google Earth Imageries for Validating Groundwater Recharge Zone in Basaltic region

A majority of the existing groundwater potential studies in the literature lack adequate validation. In developing countries, it is attributed to many reasons including-poor/limited data on water yield, sparse spatial and temporal data on wells, lack of data protocol/sharing, a weak ground water governance structure such as disparate agencies, lack of registration/georeferencing of irrigation wells. A rapid, simple and replicable approach is proposed to overcome these difficulties using Google Earth imageries for visual interpretation, interwined with cadastral data and telecommunication for a representative block located in basaltic region of Maharashtra, India. Each of 1684 irrigation well in the study area was enumerated, its irrigation area estimated and verified through available records, field visits, telecommunication with well owners and georeferenced to link with land parcel identification number and build well information system. Functional and defunct wells were distinguished using deacadel timeline data. Nine major biophysical and environmental factors namely geomorphology, soil, land use land cover, slope, lineament density, drainage density, topographical wetness index, curvature and aspect were analyzed to asses the groundwater recharge potential (GWP). The GWP zones were verified using the georeferenced enumeration data on wells, their density and area irrigated per unit well. The number of wells, functional well density followed an order high < moderate < moderate to poor < poor to nil, i.e. highest density (0.034/ha) in high potential zone and lowest density (0/ha) in poor to nil potential zone. Number of defunct wells also exhibited linear correspondence with least share (51%) in ‘high’ potential zone and higher share (76%) in ‘moderate to poor’ potential zone. It is concluded that Google Earth imageries provide direct and conclusive well enumeration, its irrigated area and therby accurate means of evaluating GWP zonation. It has immense potential for use in many countries where historical data are inadequate to assist groundwater management/governance.

Application of geospatial modeling in deciphering groundwater recharge site and structures in Paschim Medinipur district, India

Indiscriminate urbanization and population explosion have put tremendous stress on groundwater resource of Paschim Medinipur, an agriculture-dominated area. In this aspect delineation of potential groundwater recharge zones can play a crucial role in the long run. Initially, ten different influencing factors i.e., geology, geomorphology, rainfall, aquifer material, drainage density, soil type, lineament and fault density, slope, elevation and Land use land cover (LULC) are integrated into ArcGIS environment to generate the potential groundwater recharge zones (GWRZ) within the study area. The final GWRZ was categorized into three classes namely high, medium and low where about 33% (3152.46 sq. km) of the total area fall under high GWRZ, about 25% (2379.02 sq. km) is covered by medium GWRZ and low GWRZ covers about 39.96% (3743.16 sq. km) of the study area. Predicted model is validated with water table fluctuation data collected from 87 monitoring wells by implementing Success Rate Curve (SRC) and the Prediction Rate Curve (PRC) where an accuracy of 81% prediction is observed. The study of WTF trend for past 23 years using the multiplicative model of time series shows a significant declining trend in-depth to water-table. Based on the model outcome various recharge structures are recommended in the specific locations of the study area which may be further confirmed through field investigation before implementation. Outcomes of the present study can be a first-hand tool to the policymakers, planners and government officials for sustainable water resource management in the study area.

Delineation of groundwater recharge zones in the Mitidja plain, north Algeria, using multi-criteria analysis

Abstract This work aims to identify the potential groundwater recharge zones in the Mitidja plain (north Algeria) using the multi-criteria approach. The analysis was based on the use of a geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing to establish eight thematic maps, weighted, categorized and inserted, that allowed us to establish the potential zones’ map for groundwater recharge. Three potential groundwater recharge classes were defined corresponding, respectively, to low (26%), moderate (47%) and high (27%). The best groundwater potential zones are situated in the piedmont of the Blidean Atlas (the south of the study area), precisely, upstream near to wadis (wadi El Harrach, wadi Djemaa, wadi Mazafran) and the western aquifer limit, where the hydrogeological units are formed by the alluvium formation which is characterized by high hydraulic conductivity, high water flow, low slope, low drainage, low quantity transported sediments and good water quality. The obtained results, in this work, describe the groundwater recharge potential areas and supply information for a suitable mapping and the management of aquifer resources in the study area.

Potential groundwater recharge zone in the groundwater basin of Majalengka Regency

Water is an important natural resource in supporting the lives of all living things. The increasing population in Majalengka District adding a large amount of water usage. The extraction of groundwater that has been carried out over time has also increased, thus, a study is needed to reveal groundwater recharge zone so that we can predict the groundwater reserves in a certain area. Therefore, a study entitled Potential Groundwater Recharge Zone in CAT Majalengka needs to be conducted because CAT is a location where rainwater falls and can also be used as data to estimate the groundwater reserves in a certain area. The method used in this study was SMCE (Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation) by using a quality point system on each variable used. The variables used in this study were lithology, rainfall, slope, altitude, land use, soil texture, and flow density. The results of this study showed that the potential groundwater recharge zones in CAT Majalengka were dominated by high and very high classifications. High and very high classification potential dominated at an altitude of 500-1000 meter above sea level.

An Approach to Mapping Groundwater Recharge Potential Zones using Geospatial Techniques in Kayadhu River Basin, Maharashtra

Rapid increase in population, agricultural expansion and ongoing development projects in the region. However, the region is facing water scarcity because of seasonal precipitation and inadequate surface water resources. Therefore, groundwater resources are gaining much more attention mainly in Kayadhu river basin to fulfil drinkable water requirements in the area. To maintain the long-term sustainability of water resources artificial recharge is expected to become frequently necessary in future as the growing population requires more water and consequently, more storage is required to conserve water for use in the times of shortage. Geospatial techniques are used in the field of hydrology and water resources management. One of the chief advantages of this techniques for hydrological investigation and observe its ability to generate data in spatial and temporal fields, which plays vital role for fruitful analysis, estimation and authentication. The suitable zones for artificial recharge were identified by overlaying thematic layers such as land use/land cover, lineament density, slope, drainage density, lithology, geomorphology, rainfall and soil characteristics are integrated with recharge potential factors. The result reveals that 79% area of Kayadhu river basin is most effective for high to moderate artificial recharge potential zone.

An approach to demarcate groundwater recharge potential zone using geospatial technology

With the increasing demands for water due to growing population, urban expansion, agricultural development and groundwater resources are gaining much attention, particularly in Gopiballavpur block, Paschim Medinipur district (West Bengal, India). Present study used cohesive approach of remote sensing and geographic information system to deliver an appropriate platform for convergent study of multi-disciplinary data and decision building for artificial groundwater recharge. Thematic maps were generated from Landsat8-Operational land Imager (OLI) and Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM), and aquifer parameter thematic layers were organized from conventional field data. The weighted linear combination method was used to determine the weights of various themes and their classes, namely ‘very good’, ‘good’, ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ for identifying recharge potential zone. It has been concluded that 14.58% area has very good groundwater recharge potentiality of the study area. The area having ‘good’, ‘moderate’ and ‘low’ recharge potential is about 32.77%, 39.67% and 12.98%, respectively.

Open-Source Software Application for Hydrogeological Delineation of Potential Groundwater Recharge Zones in the Singida Semi-Arid, Fractured Aquifer, Central Tanzania

This study attempted to delineate and map potential groundwater recharge zones of the Singida, semi-arid, fractured crystalline basement aquifer using open source remote sensing and GIS software. Various thematic maps such as lithology/hydrogeology, soil, land-cover/use, slope, lineament density, drainage density and rainfall distribution were integrated in QGIS software. Vector input layers were rasterized and resampled using QGIS wrap projection function to make sure that the grid cells are of the same size. Reclassification using SAGA and GRASS reclass algorithms in QGIS was carried out to realign the factor classes in a consistent scale, and reclassification to a scale of 1 to 5 was carried out to harmonize the results. The study identified a number of potential areas for groundwater recharge, groundwater exploration, groundwater development and potential areas for artificial groundwater recharge. Potential groundwater recharge zones for the Singida semi-arid fractured aquifer are restricted to areas with high lineament density, cultivated areas, grassland and flat to gentle slopes. The potential of groundwater recharge is also observed in areas with low drainage density. The delineated zones provide a good understanding of the potential recharge zones, which are a starting point for recharge zone protection. This blended approach can be utilized for carrying out suitability analysis using the weighted overlay analysis approach. Areas designated good and very good are recommended for artificial recharging structures as an alternative technique for enhancing groundwater recharge through rainwater harvesting. This will help to augment groundwater storage in this semi-arid environment.

Using machine learning algorithms to map the groundwater recharge potential zones

Groundwater recharge is indispensable for the sustainable management of freshwater resources, especially in the arid regions. Here we address some of the important aspects of groundwater recharge through machine learning algorithms (MLAs). Three MLAs including, SVM, MARS, and RF were validated for higher prediction accuracies in generating groundwater recharge potential maps (GRPMs). Accordingly, soil permeability samples were prepared and are arbitrarily grouped into training (70%) and validation (30%) samples. The GRPMs are generated using sixteen effective factors, such as elevation (denoted using a digital elevation model; DEM), aspect, slope angle, TWI (topographic wetness index), fault density, MRVBF (multiresolution index of valley bottom flatness), rainfall, lithology, land use, drainage density, distance from rivers, distance from faults, annual ETP (evapo-transpiration), minimum temperature, maximum temperature, and rainfall 24-hr. Subsequently, the VI (variables importance) is assessed based on the LASSO algorithm. The GRPMs of three MLAs were validated using the ROC-AUC (receiver operating characteristic-area under curve) and various techniques including true positive rate (TPR), false positive rate (FPR), F-measures, fallout, sensitivity, specificity, true skill statistics (TSS), and corrected classified instances (CCI). Based on the validation, the RF algorithm performed better (AUC = 0.987) than the SVM (AUC = 0.963) and the MARS algorithm (AUC = 0.962). Furthermore, the accuracy of these MLAs are included in excellent class, based on the ROC curve threshold. Our case study shows that the GRPMs are potential guidelines for decision-makers in drafting policies related to the sustainable management of the groundwater resources.

Application of Remote Sensing and GIS for Groundwater Recharge Potential Zone Mapping in Upper Betwa Watershed

Groundwater is unevenly distributed and limited in hard rock terrains. The study has been carried out using remote sensing and GIS to delineate the potential recharge zones of groundwater in upper Betwa watershed, Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh, India. The different thematic layers viz; geology, lineament density, soil, slope, land use/land cover (LU/LC) and drainage density were prepared for assessment of groundwater recharge potential in the area. District Resource Map (DRM) of Geological Survey of India (GSI) 2002 has been used for geological study. SRTM Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was used to obtain the slope. LANDSAT-8 OLI data has been processed for lineament density and LU/LC analysis. Survey of India toposheets were used for drainage density analyses and National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning Nagpur (NBSS&LUP) map used for soil study. Weightage has been given to parameters in thematic maps as per the relative influence of each parameter in the groundwater recharge. Rating to each class of parameters was given as per there relative significance in groundwater recharge. Finally, groundwater recharge potential map has been prepared by overlaying all thematic maps in terms of the weighted index overlay (WIO) method. The output map has been further classified into three zones (i) low ground-water potential zone (121.80 km2) (ii) moderate groundwater potential zone (387.78 km2) and (iii) high groundwater potential zone (173.35 km2). The output results were validated by plotting the specific yield data and groundwater level of selected wells in delineated groundwater recharge potential zones using GPS locations. It has been seen that most of the groundwater productive wells functioning in the area is falling in high and moderate groundwater recharge potential zone.

Application of Geoinformatics in Ground Water Augmentation of AAM Water Shed

Groundwater is considered as the preferred source of water for meeting domestic, industrial and agriculturalrequirements, due to its longer residence time in the ground, low level of contamination, wide distribution, andavailability within the reach of the end user. Even the existing wells are getting dried-up due to depletion ofground water table as the natural recharge is not sufficient. Groundwater recharge is a basic pre-requisite forefficient groundwater resource development and management, which is particularly vital for India with widelyprevalent semi-arid and arid climate. In case the natural recharge is not sufficient, it has to be met throughartificial recharge. To provide artificial recharge structures and to construct them, appropriate locations areselected. Scientifically, each hydro- geomorphic unit will be evaluated for its recharge potential and suitably amap showing such groundwater recharge potential zones for appropriate recharge would be prepared. Usingremote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) a number of different thematic maps of the same areaare prepared and overlaid them to form a new integrated layer. This study was aimed to identify the groundwaterrecharge potential zones, to be used for better and improved groundwater resources. The thematic layersconsidered in this study are geomorphology, soil, land use land cover, slope (%) which is prepared usingsatellite imagery and other conventional data. The thematic layers were first digitized from satellite imagery,supported by ancillary data such as toposheets and field investigation data, finally all thematic layers weredigitized on Arc-GIS software to identify the groundwater recharge potential zones for the study area togenerate a map and recharging methods were suggested.

Predicting groundwater recharge potential zones using geospatial technique

Rapid urbanization increases impervious surfaces, thus interrupting natural groundwater recharge, and finally poses serious threat to the city water demands due to groundwater level depletion. In this context, artificial ground water recharge (GWR) using excess rainfall is getting interest among the urban areas. This study selected Chittagong, the second largest and commercial capital city of Bangladesh, is facing issues with groundwater level lowering. Potentialities of GWR were assessed using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in association with the geospatial techniques. After evaluating primary and secondary datasets, eight thematic layers, i.e., urban storm water logging depth, drainage density, slope, rainfall/runoff, soil texture, existing groundwater level, lineament and land use/land cover, were used to locate the potential areas for GWR. Using reclassification techniques, the thematic layers were individually classified into five categories and assigned a specific normalized weighted value using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in ArcGIS environment. Then, weighted linear combination method was employed to predict the potential GWR areas. The whole study area was then divided into five categories, viz. low, medium, medium–high, high and very high potential zone. Analysis showed that 5.5% of the total area is highly potential for GWR. In this analysis, expertise knowledge and practical experiences were used to analyze the data and map preparation. Therefore, along with the high-resolution ground data, findings of this paper envisaged to provide useful information to the decision support system.

Delineation of groundwater potential zones in Sathyavedu area, Chittoor District (Andhra Pradesh), South India, using geospatial technologies

Assessment of the potential zone of groundwater recharge is extremely important for the protection of water quality management in groundwater systems. Groundwater potential areas are identified with the help of RS and GIS techniques. In this study, a standard methodology was used for the determination of groundwater potential areas by using the integration of RS and GIS techniques. The composite maps (geology, geomorphology, lineaments, slope, soils and drainage) were generated using GIS tools. The accurate information to obtain the above parameters can be considered for the identification of the groundwater potential areas. The maps are generated using satellite data (LISS-III IRS-P6) and Survey of India (SOI) toposheet of scale 1:50,000. Then, it was integrated with Arc GIS Software for the evaluation of various geomorphic units and demarked the groundwater availability. The groundwater potential zones are classified into five categories like very poor, poor, moderate, good and excellent. In overall, the study area predominately is occupied with denudation hills and pediment slope and contains the less groundwater potential. This groundwater potential information will be useful for the effective identification of a suitable location for the extraction of groundwater.

Delineation of potential groundwater recharge zones using analytic hierarchy process-guided GIS in the semi-arid Motloutse watershed, eastern Botswana

Study regionThe Motloutse Watershed is located in eastern Botswana. Study FocusThis study investigates the spatial distribution of recharge in the semi-arid watershed using Weighted Overlay Analysis.The overuse of groundwater in the Motloutse catchment to support domestic and industrial expansion has generated the need for the determination of areas where renewable storage to groundwater may occur. A select of parameters known to have influence on recharge were considered for input into the analytic process and included lithology, lineament density, ground slope, soil type, soil thickness, and drainage density. A thematic map for each parameter was prepared, reclassified into high, moderate and low potential for recharge. Analytic Hierarchy Process was applied to rank the importance of each parameter relative to one another concerning groundwater recharge. Potential groundwater recharge sites were delineated using Weighted Overlay tool of ArcGIS software. New Hydrological Insights for the RegionHigh recharge sites cover 8% of the catchment and correspond to places underlain by sandstones and fractured basaltic outcrops as well as areas covered by thick sandy soils. Moderate recharge occurs in 78 % and low recharge in 14 % of the catchment area. The results from this study are useful for selecting areas for more focused studies on recharge and also form a significant decision support tool for sustainable and equitable utilization of groundwater resources within the Motloutse catchment.

Delineation of potential groundwater recharge zones using analytical hierarchy process (AHP)

ABSTRACT In the present study, an effort was made in Kashmir Valley, NW-Himalayas to delineate potential groundwater areas using GIS and Analytical Hierarchy method (AHP) by incorporating remote sensing data with data from other sources. These data sets were used to prepare eight thematic layers of slope, soil texture, drainage density, land/land cover (LULC), lithology, geomorphology, lineament density, and rainfall. The analytical method of AHP pair wise matrix was used to evaluate the normalized weight of these thematic layers. All the thematic layers and their corresponding classes were allocated ranks and weights based on their impact on groundwater potential. The study area has been classified into five different potential groundwater recharge zones — excellent (28.97%), good (19.99%), moderate (21.70%), poor (27.16%) and very poor (2.15%). The groundwater potential map prepared for the study area has been validated with 245 existing bore-wells and flow direction of basin. The validation of results was in agreement with the evidence obtained as Area Under Curve (AUC) was calculated to be 79.69% and flow computational investigations which suggest groundwater flows north-eastward from south of basin up to central Kashmir, and south-westward from North towards Jhelum River. The validation suggests that the applied method proves to give us a very significant and reliable result for the study area.

Mapping Ground Water Potential Recharge Zones in Parts of Akwa Ibom State Using Geographic Information System (G.I.S)

The study was conducted to map ground water potential recharge zones based on physical parameters in southern parts of Akwa Ibom State using Geographical information system (GIS). The aim was to produce ground water recharge potential map for the protection of water quality and the management of ground water systems. Thematic maps of lithology, land cover/ land use, lineaments, drainage, and slope of the study area were produced from various sources. The influence of each factors to groundwater recharge and interaction between the factors were examined and ranks were assigned. Weighting values were assigned according to the degree of the Multiple Influencing Factors (MIF). All the thematic maps or layers were integrated applying weighted overlay analysis in a GIS environment (Arc Map 10.5 software) to produce the resultant map. The study produced a ground water recharge potential map of parts of Akwa Ibom State. The resultant map indicated that the most effective groundwater recharge potential zone was trending in the NW – SE direction. In this region, the coastal plain sands of the Benin Formation, the agricultural land and forest possesses high infiltration ability. Additionally, the concentration of drainage also indicates the ability of stream-flow to recharge the groundwater system. The downstream region is least effective for groundwater recharge, mainly due to its elevation being as low as sea level. Keywords: Mapping, Groundwater, GIS, Lineament, Drainage, Recharge DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-2-08 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

Toward mapping potential groundwater recharge zones across Viti Levu and Vanua Levu (Fiji islands)

Water access in Fiji is a critical issue as not everyone can access reticulated water sources which poses heavy dependence on groundwater sources. Along with its various uses, groundwater sources have been left vulnerable to contamination and depletion over the years due to changes in climatic patterns and human influence. Traditional hydrometric groundwater survey is performed monthly to help determine recharge potential areas in Fiji but doesn’t cover all the water sources nor considers all the factors contributing to groundwater recharge. GIS, presents a contemporary approach to identify potential recharge areas which has been used in this study. In this study, the Multi Influencing Factor technique was used to determine the weightage of the factors aspect, slope, soil drainage, drainage density, parent materials and rainfall which are believed to have potentially contribute to groundwater recharge. The basic GIS tools of overlaying and reclassification was used to denote the relationships between the factors and groundwater recharge and the potential groundwater recharges areas for Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Results have shown that higher potential areas are mostly areas with lower altitudes such as plains, wet areas (windward side), water bodies, excessively drained soils and parent materials with high exposure to weathering. Low ground water recharge potential areas are mostly mountainous, poorly drained soils, dense vegetation and poorly permeable bedrocks. These information is compared against existing boreholes and findings are to assist the government to invest more in those areas that have high recharge areas.

Assessment of recharge potential zones for groundwater development and management using geospatial and MCDA technologies in semiarid region of Western India

Groundwater recharge potential (GWRP) plays a vital role as it directly or indirectly supports domestic, agriculture and industrial activities by infiltrating the rainwater. The present paper touches upon the methodology delineating groundwater recharge potential zones by applying geospatial and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to the derived thematic layers based on significant influence of occurrence of groundwater in semiarid watershed of Western India. The satellite imageries and other ancillary data were utilized to generate various thematic layers, viz. slope, geology, drainage density, surface run off, geomorphology, land use/land cover soil and vadose zone. The outcome of study shows that about 24.69% is having high GWRP and 24.17% of the area is moderate for recharge of groundwater, while the low and poor groundwater recharges potential area is about 44.34% and 6.80% of total area, respectively. The validation of the study was done by overlaying point data groundwater well yield on the output final map; it shows good correlation with result. Also, the surplus water availability was calculated based on vadose calculation according to CGWB method; it shows 17.12 MCM vadose region having artificial recharge of 22.77 MCM. The total recharge is about 117.41 MCM, about 30% of the total runoff, i.e. 35.22 MCM is considered as surplus monsoon runoff available for artificial recharge. The result shows that the use of remote sensing, geospatial and MCDA technologies are promising and efficiently recognize the suitable regions for groundwater recharge over other conventional techniques.

Correction to: Investigating groundwater recharge potential zones using a cross-correlation technique in a part of Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP), Central India

Unfortunately, in the original article the e-mail ids of Ajay Kumar Venkatarao and Shakeel Ahmed were published wrongly.