Delineation of groundwater recharge zones and identification of artificial recharge sites in West Medinipur district, West Bengal, using RS, GIS and MCDM techniques

Abstract

Artificial recharge plays a pivotal role in the sustainable management of groundwater resources. This study proposes a methodology to delineate artificial recharge zones as well as to identify favorable artificial recharge sites using integrated remote sensing (RS), geographical information system (GIS) and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques for augmenting groundwater resources in the West Medinipur district of West Bengal, India, which has been facing water shortage problems for the past few years. The thematic layers considered in this study are: geomorphology, geology, drainage density, slope and aquifer transmissivity, which were prepared using IRS-1D imagery and conventional data. Different themes and their corresponding features were assigned proper weights based on their relative contribution to groundwater recharge in the area, and normalized weights were computed using the Saaty's analytic hierarchy process (AHP). These thematic layers were then integrated in the GIS environment to delineate artificial recharge zones in the study area. The artificial recharge map thus obtained divided the study area into three zones, viz., 'suitable,' 'moderately suitable' and 'unsuitable' according to their suitability for artificial groundwater recharge. It was found that about 46% of the study area falls under 'suitable' zone, whereas 43% falls under the 'moderately suitable' zone. The western portion of the study area was found to be unsuitable for artificial recharge. The artificial recharge zone map of the study area was found to be in agreement with the map of mean groundwater depths over the area. Furthermore, forty possible sites for artificial recharge were also identified using RS and GIS techniques. Based on the available field information, check dams are suggested as promising artificial recharge structures. The results of this study could be used to formulate an efficient groundwater management plan for the study area so as to ensure sustainable utilization of scarce groundwater resources.

Delineation of Suitable Zones for the Application of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) in Coastal Aquifers Using Quantitative Parameters and the Analytical Hierarchy Process

“…Chenini et al [20] developed a multi-criteria method in a GIS environment for the selection of optimal sites for MAR application in Tunisia. Saud [21] was the first to introduce an index for site suitability in Saudi Arabia.…”

Identification of artificial groundwater recharging zone using a GIS-based fuzzy logic approach: a case study in a coal mine area of the Damodar Valley, India

“…A number of researchers have written about the groundwater-level exploitation in India and the need for artificial recharge of groundwater aquifers (Chowdhury et al 2010;Krishnamurthy et al 2000;Muthukrishnan et al 2013). For developing sustainable environment management, the application of remote sensing (RS) data, ancillary data, and field observation data implemented in a geographic information system (GIS) environment is an essential technique.…”

“…On the other hand, a GIS is a powerful tool for handling spatial data in many areas and for quick strategic decision making by a wide range of users, such as local authorities, as it includes both hydrogeological and environmental parameters (Stafford 1991;Singh et al 2013). As groundwater is dynamic and interdisciplinary in nature, an integrated approach of RS and GIS techniques is very useful in groundwater resource management (Chowdhury et al 2010). Recently, around the world, several researchers have used RS and GIS techniques for the evaluation of potential groundwater zones (Basavarajappa et al 2013;Chenini et al 2010;Dinesh Kumar et al 2007;Machiwal et al 2011;Machiwal and Singh, 2015;Magesh et al 2012;Sener et al 2005;Shaban et al 2006;Yeh et al 2009).…”

Deliberation of Hilly Areas for Water Harvesting Application in Western Crete, Greece.

“…The accomplishment of RFWH application relies chiefly upon two main factors: the rainfall distribution throughout the growing phase of the crops, and the availability of soil profile, which could store adequate quantities of water (Chowdhury et al, 2010).…”