Modeling groundwater scarcity: A case study of Northwest Bangladesh

Deficiencies in groundwater supplies lead to a lack of water availability to meet normal and specific waterdemands in many parts of the world where groundwater is the main source of water supply. Groundwatersource fail occurs when groundwater heads fall below a critical level over a certain period of time, whichresults in adverse effects. This may happen as a direct consequence of natural drought or as the result ofnon-sustainable water management practices by humans. Modelling groundwater source fail orgroundwater scarcity is necessary to identify it’s possible causes for implementing mitigation to reduceit’s impacts. Groundwater levels which provide indirect knowledge about groundwater recharge anddischarge has been used in the present research to model groundwater scarcity in northwest district ofBangladesh where prolonged absence of groundwater within the operating range of shallow tube-wellsduring dry season is a common problem in the recent years. Monthly groundwater fluctuation datacollected from 85 sites has been used to model groundwater scarcity of the region. The study shows thatgroundwater scarcity in 42% area is an every year phenomenon in the region. Analysis of rainfall timeseriesreveals that ever increasing groundwater extraction for irrigation in the dry season andanthropogenic intervention on the nature flow of river are the causes of groundwater scarcity inNorthwest Bangladesh.

Keywords:

Groundwater , water scarcities , rainfall , groundwater flow