Effect of overexploitation of ground water resources on water balance andquality in Lachi valley of district Kohat [Pakistan]
2004
Malik, A. | Badruddin,NWFP Univ. of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar(Pakistan). Dept. of Agricultural Engineering
Study was undertaken to evaluate overexploitation of ground waterresources in Lachi valley and its effects on ground water balance and qualityduring the year 2001-2002. Climate of the study area is semi-arid, whichnecessitates artificial irrigation to undertake agricultural pursuits. As noproper surface water exists, the only option remains into use ground waterfor irrigation and domestic purposes. In the past few years, low precipitationand reduction in up- stream flow caused the water table to drop at rate of0.06 to 1.6 m per year with average of 0.6m/year. The total recharge to thearea amount to 0.550 cumecs, out of which 0.055 cumecs comes from Lachi-Toiand the remaining from precipitation. The total discharge from the areaamounts to 0.796 cumecs out of which 0.740 cumecs were discharged by wellsand the remaining by natural springs. The discharge from the area is two-third times more than the recharge to the area that imbalanced the aquiferand the ground water quality has deteriorated. Out of total thirty-two groundwater samples collected randomly from the study area, forty-six percent werefound hazardous (mostly in the south-eastern part of the valley, close to thesaline water stream), ten percent were marginal (mostly in the north-easternpart of the valley) and forty-four percent were safe (mostly in the westernpart of the valley).
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