Estimation of groundwater recharge in national capital teriitory, Delhi using groundwater modeling

Abstract

National Capital Territory, Delhi in India is under the grip of extreme pressure to meet demand for its water resources due to urbanization, improvements in living standards, expanding population etc. Therefore, quantitative evaluation of spatial and temporal distribution of groundwater recharge is a pre-requisite for operating ground water resources system in an optimal manner and meet the demand. The main objective of this study was to predict groundwater recharge in NCT of Delhi. The methodology was achieved using numerical groundwater model (VISUAL MODFLOW, 4.3). MODFLOW model is derived from a combination of topology, soil type, land use, well location using geographic information systems (GIS). The model was calibrated and validated and then used to predict groundwater recharge. The output of the model was found to be in agreement with the earlier records. Moreover, the simulation results also show reasonable declination of water table elevations in the study area during the period of study.