DECODING THE STRUCTURE OF HARD ROCK AQUIFERS IN PENINSULA INDIA USING PARTICIPATORY GROUNDWATER MAPPING

Abstract:

Groundwater depletion is a major problem in the Arkavathy Basin in South India. It is also the probable cause of declining flows in the Arkavathy River. However, investigating groundwater and developing sustainable management strategies is extremely challenging in a data-scarce environment where there is very little historical data; often the data are missing, flawed or biased.

Almost nothing is known about the structure of fracture aquifers, which makes modeling groundwater flows impossible. No aquifer maps are available from government agencies and a review of the available literature and discussions with experts suggests several contradicting views on the structure of fracture aquifers.

Using data from over a hundred borewell camera scans in a milli-watershed covering 6 sq km, we tested multiple hypothesis on possible structures. We are able to recreate the 3-D structure of fracture aquifers. Using data from a participatory groundwater monitoring program we are also able to interpret seasonal changes in water levels and possible recharge pathways.