ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT: The BayalishMouza located in the Kathajodi River basin of Orissa is a typical river island surrounded by the Kathajodi River and its branch Surua. Agriculture is the main occupation of the inhabitants and groundwater is a major source of irrigation. Ample water is available in the monsoon season and even some area remains waterlogged during this time. But farm ponds dry up towards the end of February and groundwater is not enough to meet the agricultural water requirements during the post-monsoon and summer season. The present study focuses on the hydrologic and hydrogeologic analyses of this basin to explore the possibility of enhanced and sustainable groundwater supply. The streamflow analysis showed that the river flow is highly seasonal and it reduces very much during summer season. The hydrogeologic analysis indicated that a confined aquifer exists comprising medium to coarse sand. The aquifer depth ranges from 20 to 40 m below ground level with its thickness varying from 12 to 56 m. Overall groundwater flow is from north-west to south-east direction. The groundwater level drops by 3 to 6 m during dry periods, with April-May being the most critical months. The weekly groundwater-level data show a good correlation with the rainfall, suggesting significant groundwater recharge from rainfall. Apart from rainfall, groundwater aquifer has good interaction with the Kathajodi River also. Construction of a series of check dams with spillways along the main natural drain, construction of a few more water harvesting structures in the upper portion of the basin and numerical analysis is recommended for exploitation and sustainable use of water resources in the basin.