Drainage and lineament analysis towards artificial recharge of groundwater

Abstract

Drainage and lineament characteristics of a watershed provide important clues about the hydrogeology of the area. Information about the above characteristics derived from satellite imageries (IRS-IB) aided by field verifications and subsequently analyzed in Geographical Information System (GIS) environment can provide a composite map and which can be used for adopting a suitable strategy for managing watersheds in a better way particularly in relation to the augmentation of the status of groundwater by artificial recharge methods.

On the basis of the above concept, drainage, lineament and hydro geomorphic study of the upper catchment area of Kumari basin, Purulia, eastern India have been performed for demarcating prospective sites for construction of artificial recharge structures. Granitic lithology and uneven topography indicate that the surface run-off is high and infiltration is low and therefore groundwater recharge is inadequate in the area. So, mainly to keep the irrigation practice and drinking water supply alive, groundwater condition has to be improved by artificial recharge method. Integrating different types of thematic layers like drainage density, lineament density, hydro geomorphology in a GIS environment; it has been possible to generate a composite map showing prospective sites for construction of artificial recharge structures.