Groundwater Flow Modeling Study to Assess the Sustainability of Groundwater Resource in and Around Bemetara Block, Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract The use of the groundwater flow model is prevalent in the field of hydrogeology. The models have been used to address a variety of hydrogeological conditions including flow and transport of contaminants for risk evaluation. In the present study, a transient groundwater flow model for part of the Bemetara district of Chhattisgarh was developed to determine in detail the groundwater flow in the shallow and deep aquifer. The model simulates groundwater flow over an area of about 588 sq. km with a uniform grid size of 500 m by 500 m and contains two layers, 53 rows, and 68 columns. The visual MODFLOW software was used in this study to simulate groundwater flow. The conceptual model was built by analyzing the hydrogeological data. Based on the available data observed from 2015 to 2018, which provide insights to understand the dynamic behavior of groundwater systems and to predict spatial-temporal distributions of groundwater levels in responding to changes in the aquifer environment. 10 observatory wells within the study area were used for observation as well as calibration purposes. With the help of hydraulic conductivities and storage coefficients, the model has been calibrated with a normalized root mean squared of 7.477 % for steady-state & transient state NRMS is 9.242 %. The model has been forecasted for 2190 days up to the year 2024, suggests the depletion of the water table with an average annual fall of about 50cm, which indicates the overall projected depletion of the water table by 2024 will be 2.5-4 meters in different place of the study area. To mitigate this hazardous condition 15% reduction in the pumping of groundwater and the establishment of a total of four recharge wells has been suggested.