44-A Protocol for Groundwater Recharge Capability Assessment Using Multi-Themati Parameters - An Example from a Semi-Arid Region of Rajasthan, India.

Abstract

The shallow to middle level aquifer systems in semi-arid regions of central Rajasthan, India, are depleted of groundwater resources, showing a steady fall in the water table, due to an imbalance in recharge and abstraction. The KhariMashi semi-arid drainage basin (18,800 km2) in central Rajasthan has been studied for assessing artificial recharge capability by extracting thematic data-sets on different attributes of such parameters as geology, tectonics, geomorphology, hydraulic conductivity and texture of land-cover materials, and pre-and post-monsoon water table fluctuations. The data-base has been used to develop a protocol to identify favourable recharge blocks by quantitative matrix analysis, using multiple parameters, and estimating the Cumulative Recharge Capability Score (CRCS) of 394 cells (50 km2 unit cell). Several specific sites (1-2 km2) for artificial recharge have been identified, using the combination of high impact components of selected parameters in blocks having CRCS values between 1400 and 1800.