Abstract
Rajasthan experiences varied climatic condition ranging from extreme aridity to subhumid and humid conditions. About 94 % of the total geographical area of the state falls under arid and semiarid conditions with erratic rainfall pattern. The groundwater is the main source of drinking and irrigation in the Wakel River basin but due to the overextraction of groundwater and consecutive droughts, the water table has been declining. On the basis of analyzing the hydrogeological conditions and water resources utilization of Wakel basin, a two-dimensional distributed parameters’ steady and transient groundwater flow model has been developed to better understand the aquifer system. This was done by developing a suitable conceptual model and then transforming into a steady and transient-state numerical groundwater model using MODFLOW, a groundwater flow model. Using the calibrated steady-state model, three model scenarios were developed to see the effect of decreased recharge and increased pumping. The findings from this study successfully explained the overall behavior of the aquifer and its parameters associated with it for the Wakel River Basin.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Anderson MP, Woessner WW (2002) Applied groundwater modeling simulation of flow and advective transport. Academic Press, San Diego, California, p 381
Chauhan NK (2007) Hydrogeology assessment report: Wakal River Basin, India. 2007. Global Water for Sustainability Program, Florida International University, 132 p
Chauhan NK, Sharma BL, Mohemmad SA (1996) Structural geometry and strain history of the early proterozoic Aravalli rocks of Gorimari, Udaipur district, Rajasthan. J Geol Soc India 47:59–74
Chiang WH, Kinzelbach W (2003) 3D-groundwater modeling with PMWIN: A simulation system for modeling groundwater flow and pollution. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York 346p
de Vries JJ, Simmers I (2002) Groundwater recharge: an overview of processes and challenges. Hydrogeol J v10(5):17
ECIDWR (2005) Expert committee on integrated development of water resources report, 2005. Expert committee on integrated development of water resources (ECIDWR), Jaipur, pp 1–43
GOR (1979) Evaluation of hydraulic parameters of Aravalli phyllites and Erinpura granites. Government of Rajasthan, Jodhpur
GOR (2003) Ground water atlas of Rajasthan (2003), SRSAC, DST. Government of Rajasthan, Jodhpur
GWP (2000) Integrated water resources management, TAC background papers no 4. Global Water Partnership, Stockholm, p 9
Harbaugh AW, McDonald MG (1996) User’s documentation for MODFLOW-96, an update to the U.S. Geological Survey modular finite-difference ground-water flow model: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 96-485, 56 p
ICID (2005) Water resources assessment of Sabarmati Basin. International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), New Delhi, India, India, p 65
Kumar MD, Chopde S, Mudrakartha S, Prakash A (1999) Chapter 5: addressing water scarcity: local strategies for water supply and conservation management in the Sabarmati Basin, Gujarat. In: Moench M, Caspari E, Dixit A (eds) Rethinking the Mosaic: investigations into local water management. Nepal Water Conservation Foundation, Kathmandu, pp 191–246
Mahnot SC, Singh PK (2003) Chapter 3: agro-climatic conditions and surface water harvesting. In: Kaul V (ed) Water Harvesting and Management. SDC/ICU, Jaipur, pp 26–34
McDonald MG, Harbaugh AW (1988) A modular three-dimensional finite-difference ground-water flow model: techniques of water-resources investigations. U.S. Geological Survey, book 6, Chap. A1
Narain P, Khan MA, Singh G (2005) Potential for water conservation and harvesting against drought in Rajasthan, India. Working paper 104 (drought series: paper 7). International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, pp 1–25
Rathore MS (2005a) State level analysis of drought policies and impacts in Rajasthan, India. Working paper 93. (Drought series: paper 6). International Water Management Institute, Colombo, pp 1–29
Rathore MS (2005b) Groundwater exploration and augmentation efforts in Rajasthan. Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur, pp 1–33
Singh PK (2006) Climatology data of Udaipur. Department of soil and water conservation engineering. Maharana Pratap University of Agricultural and Technology (MPUAT), Udaipur (unpublished)
Stiefel J, Melesse AM, McClain M, Price R (2007) Rainwater harvesting in Rajasthan, India: recharge estimation using tracers, 13th international rainwater catchment systems conference and 5th international water sensitive urban design conference, 21–23 Aug 2007. Sydney, 8 p (CD proceeding)
Stiefel JM, Melesse AM, McClain ME, Price RM, Chauhan NK (2008) The impact of artificial recharge from rainwater harvesting structures on the groundwater of nearby wells in rural Rajasthan. International groundwater conference on groundwater dynamics and global change, 11–14 Mar 2008, Jaipur, India
Stiefel J, Melesse A, McClain M, Price RM, Anderson AP, Chauhan NK (2009) Effects of rainwater harvesting induced artificial recharge on the groundwater of wells in Rajasthan, India. Hydrogeol J 17(8):2061–2073
Sukhija BS, Nagabhushanam P, Reddy DV (1996) Groundwater recharge in semi-arid regions of India: an overview of results obtained using tracers. Hydrogeol J v4(3):50–71
UNDP (2005) Looking to the future. groundwater management in Rajasthan: issues, perspectives & policy. A National Consultation Organised by Jal Bhagirathi Foundation and UNDP, Jaipur, 16 p
Wang HF, Anderson MP (1982) Introduction to groundwater modeling: finite difference and finite element methods. W.H. Freeman, San Francisco, p 256
Acknowledgments
Our thanks goes to World Vision India for facilitating the research in Rajasthan, India. We would also like to thank Dr. N.K. Chauhan, Mr. A.K. Bordia, and Dr. P.K. Singh for providing deep insight and knowledge as well as their significant contribution in making data and resources available to me. We are especially thankful to the villagers in the study area for their help, without which it would not have been possible to conduct this research.
We would like to acknowledge Global Water for Sustainability (GLOWS) Program for funding the research through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Biswas, H., Melesse, A.M. (2016). Regional Scale Groundwater Flow Modeling for Wakel River Basin: A Case Study of Southern Rajasthan. In: Melesse, A., Abtew, W. (eds) Landscape Dynamics, Soils and Hydrological Processes in Varied Climates. Springer Geography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18787-7_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18787-7_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-18786-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-18787-7
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)