Managed aquifer recharge An integrated approach for assessing The impact of a check dam

Abstract

Ever increasing demand for water has led to over exploitation of newlinegroundwater in several regions Managed Aquifer recharge MAR which is a newlinedeliberate method to increase the groundwater storage, need to be practiced in newlineaquifers that are over stressed Check dam constructed across the rivers is one newlineof the methods of MAR In arid or semi arid regions the rivers flow only for a newlinefew days in a year non perennial rivers during the monsoon The average newlinerainfall is generally non uniform and most part of it falls in a relatively short newlineperiod of time Hence large quantum of this rainfall reaches the sea as runoff newlineand also results in flooding during peak monsoonal rains In such a region newlineMAR by the check dams will help in harvesting this surface runoff by newlineincreasing the contact time between the water and the river bed to facilitate newlinethe infiltration This improves the groundwater recharge and reduces the newlinerunoff into the sea Though there were many methods to assess the efficiency newlineof MAR each method had given results in various perspectives Hence the newlinepresent study was carried out to accurately assess the impact of MAR on newlinegroundwater potential by an integrated study comprising hydrological newlinehydrogeological microbiological groundwater modeling and socio economic newlinestudies in Chennai Tamil Nadu India newline newline