Remote sensing with its advantages of spatial, spectral and temporal availability of data covering large and inaccessible areas within short time has become a very handy tool in assessing, monitoring and conserving groundwater resources. Satellite data provides quick and useful baseline information on the parameters like geology, geomorphology, land use/land cover, lineaments etc. controlling the occurrence and movement of groundwater (Saraf and Choudhuray, 1998). Remote sensing and GIS technology have opened new paths in groundwater studies. The concept of integrated remote sensing and GIS has proved to be an efficient tool in integrating urban planning and ground water studies. Hydrogeomorphological studies coupled with hydrogeological and structural/lineament have proved to be very effective tool to discern ground water potential zones. In the present study, an attempt has been made to identify the Ground Water Prospect sites in the Lower Sanjai Watershed of Kolhan Division of Jharkhand based on remote sensing and GIS techniques. The groundwater prospect map is a systematic effort and has been prepared considering major controlling factors, which influence the water yield and quality of ground water. The map depicts hydrogeomorphological aspects, which are essential as basis for planning and execution of groundwater exploration. The present information, depicted in the form of a prospect map would provide firsthand information to local authorities and planners about the areas suitable for searching ground water followed by its suitable exploration based on information given for type of well, well depth, water quality and success rate of wells.
Ground water is attracting an everincreasing interest due to scarcity of good quality sub surface water and growing need of water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses. It has become crucial not only for targeting of groundwater potential zones, but also monitoring and conserving this important resource (CGWB, 1985). In hard rock terrains, availability of groundwater is of limited extent. Occurrence of groundwater in such rocks is essentially confined to fractured and weathered horizons (Uday Kumar et. al., 2010). Efficient management and planning of groundwater in these areas is of the utmost importance (C. T. Anuradha et. al., 2010). The concept of integrated remote sensing and GIS has proved to be an efficient tool in integrating urban planning and ground water
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studies (Krishnamurthy et al., 2000; Khan et al., 2006). Hydrogeomorphological studies coupled with hydrogeological and structural/lineament have proved to be very effective tool to discern ground water potential zones in the watershed.
Remote sensing and GIS technology have opened new paths in groundwater studies. In the present study, an attempt has been made to identify the Ground Water Prospect sites in the Lower Sanjai Watershed of Kolhan Division of Jharkhand based on remote sensing and GIS techniques. The groundwater prospect map is a systematic effort and has been prepared considering major controlling factors, which influence the water yield and quality of ground water. The map depicts hydrogeomorphological aspects, which are essential as basis for planning and execution of groundwater exploration.
The present information, depicted in the form of a prospect map would provide firsthand information to local authorities and planners about the areas suitable for searching ground water followed by its suitable exploration based on information given for type of well, well depth, water quality and success rate of wells.
2. Study Area
The present study region is the central west part of the Subernarekha basin covering an area of about 1237.65 sq. km. in the Kolhan Division of Jharkhand bounded by latitudes 22°34’47.11” N to 22°56’09.10” N and longitudes 85°34’18.74” E to 86°05’20.78” E. The area is covered in SOI topographic sheets nos. 73 F/9, 73 F/10, 73 F/13, 73 F/14 and 73 J/1 & 73 J/2. The location map of the study area is shown figure 1.
Figure 1: Location map of the study area
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The study area forms part of the southern fringe of the Chotanagpur plateau and is a hilly upland with undulating topography. The region is comprised of a mountainous tract of high hills alternating with steep valleys, particularly to the northern and northwestern part. The plain land is largely confined to the valleys of the mid and upper Sanjai River. The Singhbhum region of Jharkhand is well known for its rich deposits of iron and copper.
2.1 Data used
a. LandSat TM image of Nov 1999 and LandSat ETM+ image of Nov 2001 b. IRSID LISS III image of Jan 1999 and Feb 1999
c. Survey of India toposheets pertaining to the area on 1:50,000 scale d. Geological Quadrangle Map of the area on 1:250,000 scale
e. Watershed Atlas of India (Plate 8) at 1:1,000,000 scale f. ASTER GDEM (USGS/NASA ASTER DEM data), available from
http://www.gdem.aster.ersdac.or.jp
3. Methodology
1. In order to demarcate the groundwater potential zones of study area different thematic maps on 1:50000 scale were prepared from remote sensing data, topographic maps, geological maps & reports, and field data.
2. Drainage map was prepared from SOI toposheets and updated from the satellite data.
3. Geological map of the area was prepared from Geological Quadrangle Map of the area published by GSI.
4. All primary input (hydrogeomorphology, lineament, slope, drainage etc.) were digitized using Arc GIS 9.2 software.
5. The slope map was prepared from ASTER GDEM. 6. The different polygons final thematic layer were qualitatively visualized into one of
the categories like (i) poor to nil, (ii) poor, (iii) poor to moderate, (iv) moderate to good and (v) good in terms of their importance with respect to the groundwater occurrence.
4. Analysis & Discussion
4.1 Geological/Lithological Setup
It is a wellestablished fact that geological setup of an area plays a vital role in the distribution and occurrence of groundwater (Krishnamurthy and Srinivas, 1995). The study area entirely lies on Indian Shield where ancient Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks are exposed (Kumar Ravindra, 1992). The well known Precambrians / Archaeans of Singhbhum are the basement which is encompassed within the Sanjai river watershed. The generalized geological map of the study area is shown in figure 2.
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Figure 2: Generalized geological map of the study area
The region is traversed by Singhbhum Shear Zone separating a northern terrain of more highly metamorphosed rocks and southern terrain of relatively less metamorphosed rocks. The Shear Zone separate two Precambrian provinces of the Indian shield: an older province in the south which stabilized after the Iron Ore Orogenic Cycle closing abut 2900 million year ago and a younger province in the north that underwent the Singhbhum Orogenic Cycle closing at about 850 million years ago (Gupta et. al. 1980).
4.2 Drainage and Drainage Pattern
The drainage map of the Lower Sanjai River watershed along with different tributaries has been drawn from the SOI topographical maps on 1:50,000 scale and updated from the satellite data as shown in figure 3. The streams present in the Sanjai watershed have been ordered using Horton's law of stream order and streams up to 8th order have been demarcated.
The dendritic pattern is observed in the massive igneous rocks, complex metamorphosed rocks of the shear zone, and volcanic hills. Parallel drainage is also observed in this region. The northern tributaries of the Sanjai also join this river in a parallel or sub parallel pattern. Influenced by factors like initial slope, differences in rock resistance, structural controls, recent diastrophism and morphological history of the basin., drainage pattern is most helpful in interpreting the geomorphic features and tracing the evolution of land forms.
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Generally Lineaments are weaker zones which have been formed due to movement of the earth crust and are defined as the significant lines of landscape, which reveals the hidden architecture of the rock basement. A lineament is a mapable linear or curvilinear feature of a surface whose parts align in a straight or slightly curving relationship that may be the expression of a fault of other line of weakness. Lineaments may be in the form of fault or geological contacts or shear or major points. Lineaments are proven secondary aquifer in hard rock region. Ground water occurrence is confined to fractured aquifer and is stored in the deeper zones.
Figure 4: Structure and Lineament map of the study area
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In Lower Sanjai Watershed the structure/lineaments mapped (Fig4) fall into following categories (i) anticline/antiforms (ii) major and minor lineaments/fractures (confirmed) (iii) major and minor lineaments/fractures (inferred) (iv) synclines/synforms (v) trend lines and (vi) schistosity/foliations. Intersection of lineaments is proven potential zones of ground water.
4.4 Slope Classes
The slope of a surface refers to the maximum rate of change in height across a region of the surface. Slope is an important terrain parameter and it affects the land stability. The slope map (figure 5) has been prepared from ASTER DEM. The slopes in the study area have been categorized into seven classes as per the IMSD Guidelines (NRSA, 1995). The following slope classes were mapped for the study area: nearly level, very gently sloping, gently sloping, moderately sloping, strongly sloping, moderately steep to steep sloping, and very steep sloping.
Table 1: Data related to slope category of study area
4.5 Hydrogeomorphological Setup
The storage capacity of the rock formations depends on the porosity of the rock. In the rock formation the water moves from areas of recharge to areas of discharge under the influence of hydraulic gradients depending on the hydraulic conductivity or permeability. In other words, at a given location, the occurrence of ground water depends on the storage capacity and the rate of transmission. The framework in which the ground water occurs is as varied as that of rock types, as intricate as their structural deformation and geomorphic history, and as complex as that of the balance among the Lithological, structural and geomorphic parameters. The combined units in which the lithology, landform, structure and recharge conditions are unique are called ‘hydrogeomorphic units’. They are considered as three dimensional homogenous entities with respect to hydrogeological properties and the recharge condition. In other words, they are treated as
Sl. No. Slope Category Slope (%)
1 Nearly level 0 1
2 Very gently sloping 1 – 3
3 Gently sloping 3 – 5
4 Moderately sloping 5 – 10
5 Strongly sloping 10 – 15
6 Moderately steep to steep sloping 15 – 35
7 Very steep sloping > 35
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the aquifers. The ground water prospects are expected to be uniform in a hydrogeomorphic unit.
Figure 5: Slope map of the study area
The hydrogeomorphological map, as shown in figure 6, was prepared following the guidelines of Ground Water Prospect Mapping under Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission by NRSC, Hyderabad (2007).
Figure 6: Hydrogeomorphological map of the study area
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In order to delineate the aquifers the lithological, geomorphological and structural map overlays are subjected to overlay analysis by superimposing the layers one over the other in the GIS environment. During the process of integration, the geomorphic units and rock types are made coterminus by adjusting the boundaries. As a result of the integration, the areas having unique lithology, landform and structure are delineated. These integrated lithologicalstructuralgeomorphic units are treated as homogenous areas with respect to hydrogeological properties.
Different hydrogeomorphic units and their influence on groundwater regime have been shown in Table 1 below.
Table 2: Hydrogeomorphic units and their influence on groundwater regime
Geomorphic unit /
Landform
Description Influence on ground water regime
Structural Hills (SH)
Linear to arcuate hills showing definite structural trends.
Mainly act as runoff zone.
Residual Hills (RH)
A group of hills occupying comparatively smaller area than composite hills.
Limited prospects along valleys and limited recharge potential to the surrounding plains.
Inselberg (I) An Isolated hill of massive type abruptly rising above surrounding plains.
Mainly act as runoff zone
Valleys Low lying depressions and negative landforms of varying size and shape associated with stream / nala courses.
Favourable zones for ground water accumulation.
Intermontane Valley (IV)
Small valleys occurring within the hill ranges / composite hills and residual hills.
Very good recharge from surrounding hills, subject to good rainfall. Ground water prospects depend on the underlying rock types, structures, thickness of valley fill and its composition.
Pediment Inselberg
Complex (PIC)
Pediment dotted with a number of inselbergs which cannot be separated and mapped as individual units.
Inselbergs form runoff zones. Pediment contributes for limited to moderate recharge.
Pediplain Weathered
(PP) – Shallow (PPS)
Gently undulating plain of large areal extent often dotted with inselbergs formed by the coalescence of several pediments.
Pediplains form good aquifers depending on their composition. In hard rocks, they form very good recharge and storage zones depending upon the
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thickness of weathering / accumulated material, its composition and recharge conditions.
Valley Fill (VF) Valleys of different shapes and sizes occupied by valley fill material (partly detrital and partly weathered material).
Form moderately productive shallow aquifers, subject to thickness of valley fill material, its composition and recharge conditions.
4.6 Soil Classes
Almost throughout the study area, the soil mantle is subject to heavy erosion, and unless some natural protection is afforded by way of forest cover, most of the soils are liable to be washed away, leaving the land as barren tract. Conservation of the soil cover in this region is of utmost importance.
The soil map (figure 7) has been taken from the soil maps of Jharkhand prepared under the “Assessment and mapping of some important soil parameters including soil acidity for the state of Jharkhand (1:50,000 scale) towards rational land use plan” of Department of Agriculture and Cane Development, Govt. of Jharkhand. Three soil orders namely Alfisols, Entisols, and Inceptisols were observed in the study area.
Figure 7: Soil map of the study area
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The groundwater prospect map (figure 8) is prepared taking into consideration the hydrogeomorphic map, lineament map, and geological map along with drainage patterns in the area.
Figure 8: Ground Water Prospect map of the study area
Table 3: Area statistics of different Ground Water Prospect Zones
Sl. No. Ground Water Prospect
Min Area (Sq. Km)
Max Area (Sq. Km.)
Total Area (Sq. Km.)
1 Good 0.000 27.873 103.273 2 Moderate to Good 0.143 98.928 467.232 3 Poor 0.285 198.616 285.848 4 Poor to Moderate 0.031 161.288 362.150 5 Poor to Nil 0.003 0.678 10.871 6 Waterbody 0.726 6.638 8.228
By combining these maps a with limited information on ground water level, well yield of various geomorphic units, hydrogeomorphological map is obtained which is further used for preparing ground water prospect map. Different geological formations developing a variety of land forms such as structural hill, pediments, buried pediments, valley fills etc. have got different capacity of water holding thereby showing varied aquifer qualities. Their interaction with available water from rainfall, precipitation, slope, relief, vegetation cover condition and the overall porosity and permeability is taken into consideration for developing ground water prospect map.Considering the influence of different geomorphic and lithological units on ground water regime five groundwater prospect zones – (i) poor to nil, (ii) poor, (iii) poor to moderate, (iv) moderate to good and (v) good; have been
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identified in the study area. The area statistics of different ground water prospect zones are given in Table 3.
5. Conclusion
By integration of all the maps (lithology, structure, geomorphology, hydrology, lineaments) and further analysis of data on, type of well, water table and water depth, ground water potential zones were delineated and classified. The groundwater prospect map is a systematic effort and has been prepared considering major controlling factors, which influence the water yield and quality of ground water. The map depicts hydrogeomorphological aspects, which are essential as basis for planning and execution of groundwater exploration. The high potential zone because of suitable surface and sub surface conditions like occurrence of lineaments, permeable aquifers and nearness to streams create conducive environment for higher water yield as well as favorable discharge. Low potential zones include rocky area, which act as runoff zones. The aquifers are deep and yield is very poor.
The groundwater potential zones map generated through this model was verified with the yield data to ascertain the validity of the model developed and found that it is in agreement with the wells yield data. This illustrates that the approach outlined has merits and can be successfully used elsewhere with appropriate modifications. The above study has demonstrated the capabilities of using remote sensing and Geographical Information System for demarcation of different ground water potential zones, especially in diverse geological setup. This gives more realistic groundwater potential map of an area which may be used for any groundwater development and management programme.
The present information, depicted in the form of a prospect map would provide firsthand information to local authorities and planners about the areas suitable for searching ground water followed by its suitable exploration based on information given for type of well, well depth, water quality and success rate of wells.
6. References
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2. Central Ground Water Board, (CGWB), 1985, Report on hydrogeology and groundwater potential of Mirzapur district U.P.
3. Gupta A., Basu A, and Ghosh P.K. (1980), The Proterozoic Ultramatic & mafic lavas and Tuffs of the Dalma Greenstone Belt, Singhbhum, Eastern India Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 17(2), pp 210231.
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4. Krishnamurthy J and Srinivas G (1995) Role of geological and geomorphological factors in groundwater exploration: a study using IRS LISS data. Int J Remote Sensing 16(14): pp 2595–2618
5. Krishnamurthy J, Mani A, Jayaraman V and Manivel M (2000) Groundwater resources development in hard rock terrain – an approach using remote sensing and GIS techniques. J Applied Geology 2(3/4): pp 204–215
6. Kumar Ravindra (1992) Fundamentals of Historical Geology and Stratigraphy of India, Wiley Eastern Ltd., New Delhi.
7. M.A. Khan, Pratap Narain and P.C. Moharana (2006), Prospecting Ground Water Resources Using RSGIS A Case Study From Arid Western Rajasthan Of India, pp 171 179, Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, 34(2), 2006
8. NRSA (1995), Integrated Mission for Sustainable Development Technical Guidelines, National Remote Sensing Agency, Dept. of Space, Hyderabad
9. NRSC (2007), Manual for Ground Water Prospects Mapping using Remote Sensing techniques and Geographic Information System Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission Project
10. Saraf A K and Choudary P R (1998), Integrated remote sensing and GIS for ground water exploration and identification of artificial recharge sites. Int J Remote Sensing 19(10): pp1825–1841
11. Uday Kumar and Binay Kumar (2010), Ground Water Targeting in Hard Rock Terrain using Remote Sensing Techniques in Sanjai River Watershed, Jharkhand, Abs. Regional Workshop on Exploration, Development and Management of Ground Water in Hard Rocks with special reference to Jharkhand State.
