ABSTRACT
RECONNAISSANCE OPTIMAL SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER PUMPING STRATEGIES FOR THE LOWER GHAGGAR BASIN
A. KUMAR and R. SHYAM Pant College of Technology, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Nanital, India N.K. TYAGI Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, India RC PERALTA Dept. Biological and Irrigation Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
Abstract A steady-state groundwater optimization model is constructed to compute sustainable ground water development strategies for part of Lower Ghaggar Basin in Haryana State (India) region and has flat topography. Basin lies in arid and semi-arid part. Recharge from huge canal network has resulted in rising trend of water table. The model developed represents steady-state groundwater flow response to assumed and computed optimal discharges and recharges. The model computes the spatially distributed maximum sustained yield pumping volumes for the project area. The optimal pumping rate is greater than current pumping which can be used to fulfill unmet demands for irrigation water. The difference in pumping results from an increase in recharge from the rivers and a decrease in groundwater evapotranspiration losses due to reversal of water table behaviour. The number of pumping wells needed to extract water at the optimal rates are also computed. Keywords: Groundwater management, irrigation management, modeling, pumping, sustained yield.
