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Integrated groundwater resource management in Indus Basin using satellite gravimetry and physical modeling tools

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Abstract

Reliable and frequent information on groundwater behavior and dynamics is very important for effective groundwater resource management at appropriate spatial scales. This information is rarely available in developing countries and thus poses a challenge for groundwater managers. The in situ data and groundwater modeling tools are limited in their ability to cover large domains. Remote sensing technology can now be used to continuously collect information on hydrological cycle in a cost-effective way. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a remote sensing integrated physical modeling approach for groundwater management in Indus Basin. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Satellite (GRACE)-based gravity anomalies from 2003 to 2010 were processed to generate monthly groundwater storage changes using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrologic model. The groundwater storage is the key parameter of interest for groundwater resource management. The spatial and temporal patterns in groundwater storage (GWS) are useful for devising the appropriate groundwater management strategies. GRACE-estimated GWS information with large-scale coverage is valuable for basin-scale monitoring and decision making. This frequently available information is found useful for the identification of groundwater recharge areas, groundwater storage depletion, and pinpointing of the areas where groundwater sustainability is at risk. The GWS anomalies were found to favorably agree with groundwater model simulations from Visual MODFLOW and in situ data. Mostly, a moderate to severe GWS depletion is observed causing a vulnerable situation to the sustainability of this groundwater resource. For the sustainable groundwater management, the region needs to implement groundwater policies and adopt water conservation techniques.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the NASA SERVIR program (NNX12AM85AG) and NASA WATER (NNX15AC63G) for supporting this work. Authors also express gratitude to Dr. C. K. Shum of Ohio State University for providing the GRACE data processing program. The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), which is the home of the first author, and Quaid-i-Azam University are gratefully acknowledged. This study was made possible because of the generous support provided by the Ivanhoe Foundation (to first author), University of Washington Global Affairs, and VISIT program that provided the training to the first author on GRACE data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Naveed Iqbal & Gulraiz Akhter

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Faisal Hossain

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Hyongki Lee

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  1. Naveed Iqbal
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  2. Faisal Hossain
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  3. Hyongki Lee
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  4. Gulraiz Akhter
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Correspondence to Naveed Iqbal.

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Submitted to: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Journal

Appendices

Appendix 1

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figure 11

Results of standard error calculations for the validation period (2008–2010) over the Bari doab

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Appendix 2

Fig. 12
figure 12

Results of standard error calculations for the validation period (2008–2010) over the Rechna doab

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Iqbal, N., Hossain, F., Lee, H. et al. Integrated groundwater resource management in Indus Basin using satellite gravimetry and physical modeling tools. Environ Monit Assess 189, 128 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-5846-1

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