Geospatial Techniques Based Assessment of Groundwater Recharge Site Suitability

Abstract

Ranchi city in Jharkhand state of India has been facing the problem of ground water availability in recent times believed largely due to rapid urbanization coupled with the presence of hard rock strata. For assessing the groundwater recharge suitability zones through geospatial techniques, this study was undertaken in the Kanke administrative block area within and around the Ranchi city. Artificial recharge is expected to become increasingly necessary in future as the growing population requires more water and thus, more storage is required to conserve water for use in the times of shortage. Geospatial techniques employing remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) are increasingly being used in the field of hydrology and water resources development. One of the greatest advantages of using remote sensing data for hydrological investigations and monitoring is its ability to generate information in spatial and temporal domain, which proved very crucial for successful analysis, prediction and validation. For assessing potential groundwater recharge locations, the relevant hydrological characteristics were determined through suitable thematic details. In addition, groundwater data of the recent years were analyzed to understand the current trend of depletion. Analysis and integration of thematic layers as per certain decision rules resulted in the map indicating potential areas for artificial ground water recharge with different degrees of suitability.