Groundwater Recharge Potential Index and artificial groundwater recharge in the alluvial soils of the middle Ganga Basin

Abstract

AbstractRecent studies prove the faster depletion of groundwater is a cause of concern in the middle Ganga basin. Most of the groundwater-related studies in the middle Ganga basin deal with groundwater levels and quality aspects. The past studies on groundwater potential are confined to arid and humid zones of India, which leaves ample space for semi-humid to semi-arid, frost-prone, and alluvial region. The basin has alluvial soil due to sediments deposited by the river Ganga. In this study, eight thematic maps were prepared for the assessment of the groundwater recharge potential. These maps are; rainfall, geomorphology, slope, drainage density, lineament density, lithology, Land Use/Land Cover (LULC), and Groundwater Fluctuation (GWF). The weighted overlay of these thematic maps gave the Groundwater Recharge Potential Zone (GWRPZ) map representing the spatial variation of the Groundwater Recharge Potential Index (GWRPI) in the basin, whose value varies from 0.071 to 0.309. A total of 92 artificial groundwater recharge sites have been identified using specialized GIS processes taking into account stream network. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) based weights classification offers a robust framework for prioritizing and understanding the relative significance of factors affecting groundwater recharge. Alluvial soils are capable of holding large amount of water, and are overlaid by large aquifers. A large number of wells and tube wells have led to the over-extraction of groundwater in the region. This is the reason of the study being carried out despite being a region infested with large aquifers.