Hydrogeological delineation of groundwater vulnerability to droughts in semi-arid areas of western Ahmednagar district

Groundwater, a renewable and finite natural resource, is a vital source of sustenance for humans and dif-ferent ecosystems in the semi-arid regions. Rapid population growth in the last three decades has causeda rise in water demand which has inadvertently posed a stress on its availability. Occurrence of ground-water in the Deccan Volcanic Province is governed by the subsurface hydrogeological heterogeneity ofbasaltic lava flows and by the presence of geological structures like dykes, sills and fractures that influ-ence spatial & vertical groundwater flow. The main objective of this paper is to map and assess areas thatare naturally most susceptible to groundwater scarcity and at risk of depletion due to over extraction. Thecurrent study involves a field hydrogeological mapping that was integrated with remote sensing and GISto delineate areas. This technique was based on using different thematic layers viz. lithology, slope, land-use and land cover, lineament, drainage, soil type, depth to groundwater and annual rainfall. Additionally,pumping tests were carried out to classify the study area into different hydrogeological typologies to helpdelineate communities that are most vulnerable to subsurface heterogeneity. This paper attempts tounderline the groundwater scarcity zones based on different influencing thematic layers and provide arobust methodology to prioritize areas vulnerable to groundwater unavailability, by categorizing the study area into different vulnerable class types - extreme, high, moderate and low

Vulnerability to groundwater drought in semi-arid areas of western Ahmednagar District, India

This work was carried out under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), with financial support from the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.When groundwater storage capacities and water-flow potential is low, inconsistent and highly variable, and when these aquifer characteristics intersect with low levels of rainfall and unsustainable water-use patterns, they have the potential to severely cripple agrarian livelihoods and compromise people’s wellbeing. These hardships can be further aggravated by existing social vulnerabilities and inequities, such as those tied to gender, age, socio-economic status and caste. Making matters even worse are market price fluctuations, decreasing land holding sizes due to fragmentation of households, and the high dependence of farmers on loans to meet the increasing input costs of agriculture

Changing ecosystem services are increasing people's vulnerability in semi-arid regions : an ASSAR cross-regional insight

Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR) researchers collaborated to understand the complex changes and patterns in semi-arid vegetation and socio-ecological systems. Ecosystems were mapped using a cross-regional coarse scale study, relying on climate data to capture global and regional trends. Finest spatial scale mapping relied on LANDSAT to show changes in land use and land cover. Details of observed changes are provided for Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali, Ghana, West Africa, and India. Links to referenced studies are embedded in the report. Ecosystem services need to be sustainably managed through regulatory measures.UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID

Hydrogeological delineation of groundwater vulnerability to droughts in semi-arid areas of western Ahmednagar district

Groundwater, a renewable and finite natural resource, is a vital source of sustenance for humans and different ecosystems in the semi-arid regions. Rapid population growth in the last three decades has caused a rise in water demand which has inadvertently posed a stress on its availability. Occurrence of groundwater in the Deccan Volcanic Province is governed by the subsurface hydrogeological heterogeneity of basaltic lava flows and by the presence of geological structures like dykes, sills and fractures that influence spatial & vertical groundwater flow. The main objective of this paper is to map and assess areas that are naturally most susceptible to groundwater scarcity and at risk of depletion due to over extraction. The current study involves a field hydrogeological mapping that was integrated with remote sensing and GIS to delineate areas. This technique was based on using different thematic layers viz. lithology, slope, land-use and land cover, lineament, drainage, soil type, depth to groundwater and annual rainfall. Additionally, pumping tests were carried out to classify the study area into different hydrogeological typologies to help delineate communities that are most vulnerable to subsurface heterogeneity. This paper attempts to underline the groundwater scarcity zones based on different influencing thematic layers and provide a robust methodology to prioritize areas vulnerable to groundwater unavailability, by categorizing the study area into different vulnerable class types – extreme, high, moderate and low. Keywords: Groundwater, Hydrogeology, Lineaments, MIF, Remote sensin

Identifying hotspots in land use land cover change and the drivers in a semi-arid region of India

This in-depth study quantifies the spatio-temporal long-term land use/land cover change (LUCC) in the Mula Pravara river basin, and uncovers major drivers of these changes. The river basin is located in a semi-arid region of Maharashtra state, India. The study demonstrates the advantages of using satellite remote-sensing techniques to monitor LUCC, which is useful for predicting future land use development and for providing evidence to underpin adaptation strategies. Overdependence on groundwater could have serious implications for sustaining agriculture in the region; groundwater regulation should be prioritized by implementing the Maharashtra Groundwater (Development and Management) Act, 2009