Simple Methodology for Estimating the Groundwater Recharge Potential of Rural Ponds and Lakes Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques: a Spatiotemporal Case Study of Roorkee Tehsil, India

Groundwater resources are depleting at an alarming rate all over the world. Therefore, ensuring water security is the foremost priority of every nation. This paper presents a simple methodology to estimate groundwater recharge from rural ponds and to study the impact of climate change and urbanization on the recharge potential. It was found that built-up in the study area has increased by 51% since 2002 as a consequent of which, the total area occupied by ponds has decreased by 11%. This has resulted in a decrease in the recharge volume from these ponds by 14.74%. Thus, there is an urgent need to rejuvenate and maintain natural ponds and lakes, which is much more economical than constructing artificial percolation tanks and injection wells as discussed in the report. This study will also help various Government initiatives of rejuvenation of natural ponds and lakes in identifying those ponds which need to be revived based on their size, amount of surface runoff stored by the ponds and the volume of groundwater recharge through seepage from the bed of ponds.