Abstract

 The sub-micro watershed in 42 acres of land owned by Govinda Pai Memorial Govt. College, Manjeshwar Block, Kasaragod District in the lateritic Peninsular India has been selected for the demonstrative project on artificial recharge of ground water. In the study area ground water occurs under water table condition in laterites and the weathered zone and semi-confined conditions in the fractured crystalline aquifers. The water level in the area ranges between 6 to 25 meters below ground level (mbgl) depending on the geomorphic settings and the prevailing hydrogeological conditions. The study area is underlain thick laterite at the top followed by Archean crystalline rocks and thickness of laterite ranges from 5 to12 m. The major rock is Gneissic charnockite, with intrusions of dolerite. The Charnockite basement is highly disturbed tectonically, resulting in moderate to high yielding fracture zones at depth. Open wells tap phreatic aquifer mainly comprising laterites. They have depths of 9 to 15 m and mostly non-perennial. The average depth of bore wells in this area is 70 m, mostly tapping the fractured crystalline aquifers. The average water levels during pre- and post-monsoon periods are 11 and 7 mbgl respectively. The seasonal water level fluctuation ranges from 1 to 5 m. The ground water in the area is fresh and suitable for all uses. The various artificial recharge (AR) schemes like check dam, gabion check dam, Side protection wall, Recharging Pond with Check dam, Circular Recharging Pond, Contour trenches/bunds, Planting trees and Agrostological measures have been adopted in the area. An Impact Assessment Analysis (IAA) of Artificial Recharge Structures carried in the area by water level monitoring in observation wells on sloping lands and valleys during the period are indicated replenishment of the phreatic aquifers in the area. The construction of artificial recharge in the sub-micro watershed has substantially improved the sustainability of both dug and bore wells in the downstream side of the sub-micro watershed and improvement in vegetative cover in the area.

Keywords: Sub-micro Watershed; Aquifer; Check Dam; Gabion and Hydrograph

References

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Citation

Citation: Joji VS and Jayapal G. "Impact Assessment Analysis of Artificial Recharge Scheme in a Sub-Micro Watershed, Manjeshwar Block in Lateritic Terrain of Peninsular India".Acta Scientific Agriculture 4.1 (2020): 29-35.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2020 Joji VS and Jayapal G. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.