Geo-statistical analysis of ground water fluctuations for sustainable management of groundwater resources within the chaliyar basin, southwest India

Abstract

Ground water is the primary source for potable water and it forms the fundamental connecting link amongst the Climates, Society & Natural Ecosystem. Phenomenon like climate change has a marked influence on ground water recharge giving rise to spatial variation in ground water levels. Today, fluctuations in ground water level have become a major problem and their study is of prime importance from water security & sustainable development point of view. To meet such challenges, geospatial technologies have proven to be an effective enabler i.e. spatial interpolation mechanism using geo-statistical analysis has become very popular. The Kriging method is an example of such techniques. Hence, this paper attempts to study & analyze the spatio-temporal variations of ground water levels pertaining to 29 observation wells located in Chaliyar basin, Southwest India for which Geo-statistical analysis was performed using ordinary Kriging method in Arc GIS environment. Finally, the spatial maps showing the ground water level fluctuations were generated for the Chaliyar basin which could be used for sustainable management & planning of Ground water resources within the basin.