Groundwater level and conductivity monitoring in Bist-Doab, Punjab, India

Abstract

Groundwater, a vital element to sustain life , is highly exploited within India. Particularly in Punjab, the rate of decline of groundwater level is rapid in parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains including the districts of Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Sangrur. The four districts, also known as Bist-Doab region of Punjab, were chosen for a programme of continuous monitoring of water level and conductivity. In the present study, data loggers were installed for monitoring groundwater level in 6 shallow (<60 m) and deep piezometers (>120 m) at Saroya, Tanda, Bhogpur, Kapurthala, Sultanpur Lodhi and Nakodar during August, 2013 and for monitoring conductivity in 4 shallow piezometers (<60 m) at Saroya, Bhogpur, Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi during December, 2013. Preliminary analysis from the first year of data indicates that in deep piezometers water level starts rising from the month of November and declines from the month of April. In the shallow piezometers, preliminary analysis indicate that the groundwater level at Saroya, Tanda, Bhogpur and Kapurthala declines during the Kharif season (June to October) and groundwater level at Sultanpur Lodhi and Nakodar was almost constant. The conductivity of the groundwater was different in all the shallow aquifers as in Saroya and Sultanpur Lodhi, but almost constant over the period of monitoring.