Steady-state Assessment of Hydraulic Potential at Water Scarce regions of Agniyar River Basin, India using GMS-MODFLOW

Abstract

Although the Agniyar river basin, a segment of the Cauvery River basin, hosts a sizable agricultural community whose primary source of income is underground water supply, the area has been experiencing escalating water scarcity for decades. The present research work is carried out to address the lack of a research base in this region and to create a comprehensive groundwater baseline information system for studying the impacts of natural and anthropogenic activities, using GMS MODFLOW with Monte-Carlo simulation-based groundwater level dataset. The model, thus developed, can be calibrated with contemporaneous recharge and discharge data regularly so that the output may be used to make policy decisions in sustainable exploration of groundwater resources. The model also provides the locations of subsurface flood cells which can be potential water harvesting sites. Besides, the present modelling framework can be extended to other water-scarce regions as well.