Contribution of Remote Sensing and GIS to Identify the Potential Area for Artificial Recharge in Fractured Area in the Talmakent Region, Western High Atlas, Morocco

In view of the progressive retreat of groundwater due to rarity, continuous depletion and overexploitation of water, especially in mountainous areas, which are a major source of water, there is a need for artificial recharge for better management of these resources to ensure their long-term sustainability. The approach used is a contribution of new geomatic technologies; Remote Sensing coupled with Geographic Information Systems, for the mapping of potential areas of artificial recharge in the fractured medium of the Talmakent region, which is located in the western high atlas and is characterized by the presence of impermeable rocks. This study requires the consideration of different factors influencing the recharge potential, which are the characteristics of the land surface such as geology lineaments, geomorphology and drainage system. All these criteria are grouped in a GIS prototype in which a multi-criteria overlay analysis has been done for the cartographic restitution of the potential areas for artificial groundwater recharge. The existing basins in the area revealed that only 6% of the total area was identified as having a high potential for groundwater recharge, hence suitable for the implementation of new artificial recharge structures. While 94% of the area has a low to moderate recharge potential, hence unsuitable for groundwater recharge processes.

Identification of groundwater recharge potential zones in a study region of South Kerala

Groundwater is considered as a precious natural resource which serves as the main source of agriculture and domestic purposes. Kerala state is blessed with around 3000mm rainfall annually because of two prominent monsoon. But the available water is insufficient to meet the demand of people. Increase in population and water demand cause threat to overall water balance. Ground water resource must be managed well to overcome these problems. Ground water recharging is a major requirement for sustainable utilization of water resources. It also becomes highly relevant to assess the water recharge zones and to preserve water quality. This study proposes identification of suitable water recharge sites in Karamana river basin, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Karamana river supplies majority of drinking water in Thiruvananthapuram district. Since its quality is deteriorating day by day, appropriate locations for recharging groundwater is identified using GIS technique. Various thematic maps like soil, slope, drainage, geomorphology and land utilization that affect the groundwater recharge is integrated and weighted overlay analysis is adopted to find the groundwater recharge potential map. Weights are assigned using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) by constructing a pairwise comparison matrix. The result depicts the groundwater recharge potential zones which is divided into very high, high, moderate, low and very low potential areas.

Assessment of Groundwater Recharge Potential Depending on Morphologic Analysis in East of Wasit, Southeastern Iraq

Modern technologies are used for watershed management to cope with drought risks in arid and semi-arid regions. The study aimed to conduct a morphometric analysis and know potential groundwater recharge areas in the eastern region of Wasit Province. Remote sensing and GIS data were used for morphometric analysis. The morphometric analysis results adopted the Digital Elevation Model. The results of the analysis were verified by matching the results with what exists in reality. The area of the first basin was 1482.017, as it is the largest basin from the area, with a percent of 51.228% of the total area of all basins. The percentage of first-degree flows reached 83.37% in the first basin, 74.14% percent in the second basin, 75.51% in the third basin, and 75.75% in the fourth basin from all streams in each basin. The bifurcation rate (3.135-4.233), Stream frequency range values (0.543-0.332), drainage texture coarse, low drainage density that ranged between 0.986-1.14 km/km2 elongation ratio ranging from 0.348-0.624 form factor (0.095-0.316). The basins' circularity (0.105-0.238) relief value (951-112) m infiltration number value (0.369-0.535). All basins have a longitudinal shape and lead to the formation of floods and rapid currents, which exposes the region to rapid seasonal floods and the creation of flash floods that cause soil erosion and analyses the drainage intensity results. It was low, and this is an indication that the ground has high permeability. The flow frequency results indicate that the area is semi-arid and exposed to small amounts of rain and coarse drainage texture by comparing the result parameters from morphometric analysis results for each basin. The potential recharge areas of groundwater in the study area can be known, n as the analysis results showed that recharge potential occurs in all basins. The highest groundwater recharge is possible in the third basin and the lowest in the first basin. Morphometric analysis was performed by ARC-GIS(Arc-map10.4).

Mapping Potential Zones for Groundwater Recharge Using a GIS Technique in the Lower Khwae Hanuman Sub-Basin Area, Prachin Buri Province, Thailand

The lower Khwae Hanuman sub-basin in Thailand suffers from water shortage during each dry season. As such, groundwater resources are an additional freshwater source in this region, in particular for cultivating activities. Thus, an understanding of the volume of groundwater recharge into the saturated zone is required. The objective of the study is to assess the groundwater recharge potential (GRP) using the weighted overlay analysis method by geographic information system (GIS) and finally checking the reliability of GRP map using observed specific capacity carried out by the Department of Groundwater Resources (DGR). The geological and hydrogeological features that affect groundwater potential are the lithology, land use, lineaments, drainage, slope, and soil. The weighting and rating of these six influencing factors were determined by assessing the interrelationship of the main and minor influences of each factor based on several literature reviews, followed by a weighted overlay analysis with GIS, in association with groundwater recharge. The GRP can be classified in descending order: high, moderate, low, and very low, where about 33.9 km2 (2.26% of the total area of 1,500 km2) had high recharge potentiality, located at the center of the area. Only 12.8% of the total precipitation (271.75 million m3/y or approximately 181.2 mm) infiltrated the groundwater aquifer, while the rest was lost by either surface runoff or evapotranspiration. Based on GRP sensitivity analysis index, lithology was the most efficient influencing factor in GRP mapping. Most groundwater wells (>96% or 369 wells) were classified into the classes of low and moderated, which agree to the GRP zones. The results of calculating the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were 86.0 percent, with relatively good predictive accuracy. The stable baseflow analysis would be used to confirm the amount of GRP by weighting overlay technique. Therefore, the GRP method can be applied in other areas, particular in similar hydrogeological characteristics. The first-hand recharge potential map and groundwater recharge information in this area can be used to establish an effective groundwater exploration program for agricultural activities; it is also used to appropriate sustainable yields from each groundwater basin to provide groundwater over the long-term, without negatively impacting the environment and without affecting the groundwater balance as it has recharge in the rainy seasons, which can use groundwater sustainably. It is in line with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in goal number six of the UN.

Identification of Groundwater Potential Recharge Zones in Flinders Ranges, South Australia Using Remote Sensing, GIS, and MIF Techniques

In Australia, water resource management is a major environmental, biological, and socio-economic issue, and will be an essential component of future development. The Hawker Area of the central Flinders Ranges, South Australia suffers from a lack of reliable data to help with water resource management and decision making. The present study aimed to delineate and assess groundwater recharge potential (GWRP) zones using an integration between the remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS), and multi-influencing factors (MIF) approaches in the Hawker Area of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Many thematic layers such as lithology, drainage density, slope, and lineament density were established in a GIS environment for the purpose of identifying groundwater recharge potential zones. A knowledge base ranking from 1 to 5 was assigned to each individual thematic layer and its categories, depending on each layer’s importance to groundwater recharge potential zones. All of the thematic layers were integrated to create a combined groundwater potential map of the study area using weighting analysis in ArcGIS software. The groundwater potential zones were categorized into three classes, good, moderate, and low. The resulting zones were verified using available water data and showed a relative consistency with the interpretations. The findings of this study indicated that the most effective groundwater potential recharge zones are located where the lineament density is high, the drainage density is low, and the slope is gentle. The least effective areas for groundwater recharge are underlain by shale and siltstone. The results indicated that there were interrelationships between the groundwater recharge potential factors and the general hydrology characteristics scores of the catchment. MIF analysis using GIS mapping techniques proved to be a very useful tool in the evaluation of hydrogeological systems and could enable decision makers to evaluate, better manage, and protect a hydrogeological system using a single platform.

Distributed groundwater recharge potentials assessment based on GIS model and its dynamics in the crystalline rocks of South India

Extensive change in land use, climate, and over-exploitation of groundwater has increased pressure on aquifers, especially in the case of crystalline rocks throughout the world. To support sustainability in groundwater management require proper understating of groundwater dynamics and recharge potential. GIS based studies have gained immense popularity in groundwater exploration in recent years because they are fast and provide recent information on the resource for future growth. Thus, the present study utilized a GIS-based Weighted Overlay Index (WOI) model to identify the potential recharge zones and to gain deep knowledge of groundwater dynamics. The in situ infiltration tests have been carried out, which is the key process in groundwater recharge and is neglected in many cases for WOI. In the WOI, ten thematic layers from the parameters influencing and involved in the recharge process are considered to identify potential recharge zones. The results suggested a significant underestimation of recharge potential without considering site-specific infiltration rates that one needs to be considered. The present WOI model considered in situ infiltration information and classified the entire area into four recharge zones, good, moderate, poor, and very poor. The final integrated map compared with the real-time field data like water level fluctuation and infiltration to analyse occurrence and quantification of recharge. The estimated average groundwater draft is 21.9 mcm, while annual renewable recharge is only 5.7 mcm that causing a continuous fall of the groundwater table. The study is useful in selecting regions with more focussed recharge studies and suggested the need of reducing groundwater demand by changing cropping patterns through a predictive decision support tool.