Impact of mining industries on the groundwater level fluctuation in Singrauli coalfield area by using remote sensing and GIS, India

Abstract

AbstractThe coal mining industries influence hydro‐geological parameters, which affect the aquifer recharge in the coal mining areas. This research aimed to evaluate the impact of various hydro‐geological parameters on fluctuation of groundwater level in the study area. The various hydro‐geological parameters such as soil, geology, drainage pattern, elevation and slope have been considered to accomplish the objective. A comparative analysis was performed by comparing the groundwater level fluctuation (WLF) map with the GIS‐based various hydro‐geological parameter maps to assess the combined influence of different hydro‐geological parameters on groundwater level fluctuation. A total of eighty‐six (86) dug‐wells were chosen to monitor the level of the groundwater for around ten blocks of Singrauli coalfield, and these wells were examined during the months of dry and wet seasons for 2016. Based on the comparative analysis between the WLF map and thematic maps of various hydro‐geological parameters, it has been found that WLF in the south‐western and some portions of the north‐eastern showed moderate to a higher value. This may be because most of the non‐hilly areas come under gentle to moderate slope category, with lower elevation in the area forming the suitable hydro‐geological condition for recharging groundwater. It was observed that the northwest, south‐east and central part of the study area showed lower WLF, which may be due to the presence of overburden dump, presence of higher elevation and steep slope. Thus, the combined effect of slope, elevation, geology, drainage and mining activities on the WLF in the study region is moderate.