Impact of change in land use/land cover and climate variables on groundwater recharge in a tropical river basin

Satya Narayana Reddy Beeram (), Shahanas P. V (), Pramada S. K () and Roshni Thendiyath ()
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Satya Narayana Reddy Beeram: National Institute of Technology Calicut
Shahanas P. V: National Institute of Technology Calicut
Pramada S. K: National Institute of Technology Calicut
Roshni Thendiyath: National Institute of Technology Patna

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2024, vol. 26, issue 6, No 45, 14763-14786

Abstract: Abstract Groundwater plays an important part in protecting the ecological values of the earth's systems. Assessment of groundwater (GW) recharge due to change in land use/land cover (LULC) and climate variables is essential for integrated water management and adaptation. This study is an attempt to check the combined influence of change in LULC and climate variables on GW recharge in Kallada river basin, Kerala, India. The LULC map is predicted for the year 2030 based on LULC maps during the years 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2015 using Markov chain and multilayer perceptron model. The major LULC category in the study area is plantation with an area of 797.8 km2 (49.6% in 2015) and dense forest with an area of 366.5 km2 (22.8% in 2015). Considering the period 1985–2005, a decrease of 7.43% dense forest and an increase of 2.55% built area were observed. The predicted LULC shows that there is a reduction in plantation (3.77%) and dense forest (1.28%) and increase in built-up land (4.12%) by 2030 as compared to the year 2015. The CMIP5 General Circulation Model is used for future projections of climate variables, namely daily precipitation, maximum temperature and minimum temperature under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. Multilayer perceptron neural network model was used for statistical downscaling of GCM projections. The SWAT model was used to estimate the groundwater recharge for the year 2030 using the predicted LULC map and hydro-meteorological variables. The results illustrate a significant drop in GW recharge in Kallada river basin by the year 2030. Average GW recharge in the Vettikavala and kottarakkara, which is in the western region of the basin, is reduced to 4.6% and 9.3% under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios, compared to the average GW recharge in 2005, which was 24.8% of rainfall. The decline in the groundwater recharge in the western regions may be due the increase in built-up area and decrease in plantation. The proposed model results provide a reliable insight for water resources planners in conducting future research on groundwater resources.

Keywords: LULC; Change prediction; Groundwater recharge; Climate variables and SWAT (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-03216-x

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