Abstract:
Artificial recharge plays a vital role in the sustainable management of scarce groundwater resources. This study proposes a methodology to delineate artificial recharge zones using remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) for augmenting groundwater resources in Bist Doab basin of Indian Punjab, which has been facing severe water shortage due to shift in cropping pattern over the past few years. The thematic layers considered in this study are: geomorphology, geology, drainage density, slope, soil texture, aquifer transmissivity and specific yield which have been prepared using maps conventional field 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 four zones, viz., `poor,"moderate', `good' and 'very good' based on the analysis that influence the ground water discharge. The results inferred that the eastern portion of the study area was found not suitable for artificial recharge due to its poor infiltration ability and where as middle and western portion of the study area falls under good and very good zones. The results of this study could he used to formulate an efficient groundwater management plan for the study area so as to ensure sustainable utilization of scarce groundwater resources.
