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Application of groundwater balance equation for estimating the stage of

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www.cafetinnova.org June 2015, P.P.256-258
ISSN 0974-5904, Volume 08, No. 03

Application of Groundwater Balance Equation for Estimating the

Stage of Groundwater Development in the Urbanized Environment
S PACKIALAKSHMI
Dept. of Civil Engg, Sathyabama University, INDIA
Email: bagyaram@gmail.com

Abstract: Quantification of the rate of natural groundwater recharge is imperative for efficient ground water
resources management. It is particularly important in regions with great demands for groundwater supplies, where
such resources are the key to economic development. The amount of groundwater recharge depends upon the rate
and duration of rainfall, the subsequent conditions at the upper boundary, the antecedent soil moisture conditions,
the water table depth and the soil type. The surface water resources are unevenly distributed due to uneven
distribution of rainfall both in time and space. Hence groundwater assessment and data base management play a
significant role for ensuring the sustainable development. The methods, commonly in use for estimation of natural
ground water recharge, include ground water balance method, soil water balance method, zero flux plane method,
one-dimensional soil water flow model, inverse modeling technique, isotope and solute profile techniques. The
present study aims to employ the water balance techniques using Groundwater Estimation Committee norms to
assess the groundwater balance in part of southern Chennai Metropolitan Area. The study identified the alarming
stage of groundwater development and suggests the conservation measures for protecting and managing the
resources for future.
Keywords: Groundwater Balance, Groundwater Recharge, Sustainable Development, Groundwater Estimation
Committee, Groundwater Development

1. Introduction experiences significant impact due to urbanization and

unplanned development of land and water resources.
In view of increasing demand of water for various
purposes, a greater emphasis is being laid for a planned 2. Study Area
and optimal utilization of water resources. Research on
The study area comprises of the southern part of
water resources indicate that anthropogenic reasons and
Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA), Kancheepuram
modifications in land use/cover have significance for
district and it is situated at northern side of Mambakkam
the functioning of the earth system (Graniel et al. 1999).
miniwatershed. It extends to an area of 56.39 km2 or
However, continuous utilization of natural resources,
5639 hectares. The area is bounded by Bay of Bengal on
beyond their limiting capacity of resilience which may
the eastern part, agricultural and scarcely populated in
causes imbalance in natural ecosystem. Considering the
the western part. Northern and southern part is densely
changing groundwater scenario, continuous assessment
populated and also has industrial developments. The
of groundwater resources needs to be carried out at
study area is located between latitude12.86N - 12.93N
regular intervals. This would require further
and longitude 80.16E - 80.26E (Figure 1). The climate
strengthening of the available database (Chatterjee and
of the study area is tropical wet and dry. The normal
Purohit(2009); Thambi and Rani (2010)). The empirical
annual rainfall of the study area is 1200 mm.
methods, water balance techniques,water table
fluctuation, isotope techniques and remote sensing and 2.1. Hydrogeology
geographical information system (GIS) for mapping and
The study area lies on the coastal region with plains and
other assessment techniques have been used for a long
moderately elevated areas on the west. The slope of the
time to study groundwater in terms of its movement,
study area is likely towards the east and north-eastern
quantity and quality throughout the world (Saghravani
direction. There are no considerable drainage network
et al (2013); Moricz (2010); Hassan and Bhutta (1995);
or connected tank systems other than some medium and
Njamnsi and Mbue(2009); Chandra (1979); Kumar and
non system tanks. The majority of the drainage flows
Seethapathi(1988)). The present study aims to
west to east, except during flooding due to topography,
investigate the prevailing stage of groundwater
and finally into the Bay of Bengal. The study area
development for the selected study area which

#02080301 Copyright ©2015 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY. All rights reserved.

 S P ACKIALAKSHMI 257

includes archaean rocks of charnockite formation with Non-monsoon recharge = A×Ri×Pn

enclaves of pyroxene granulite in the western part and
A=Geographical area
the eastern part of coastal alluvium with quart gravel
Ri=Rainfall infiltration factor
and coramandal formation. Geomorphologic landforms
Pm=normal monsoon rainfall
like buried pediment (shallow, moderate and deep),
Pn=normal non-monsoon rainfa
beach ridges and beaches can give an idea about the
occurrence of shallow aquifer in the vast pedi plain (ii) Recharge from water bodies(Rt)
areas of crystalline and coastal regions. In the coastal
The Groundwater Resources Estimation Committee
alluvium, the groundwater level fluctuated from 0.5m to
(1997) has recommended that based on the average
2.5m in the post monsoon (January) and 4.2m to 5m in
area of the water spread, the recharge from storage
the pre monsoon(July), whereas in the hard rock
tanks and ponds may be taken as 1.4 mm per day for
formation, the water level fluctuated 0.5m to 3m in the
the period in which the water bodies have water. Area
post monsoon and 5.6m to 9m in the pre monsoon.
of the water spread has been calculated using land
3. Materials and Methods use mapping for the study area. Field survey and
discussions with farmers indicated that during the
GEC-97 methodology has been adopted in the present
monsoon seasons, water will be available
study to assess the groundwater balance for the two
approximately for 150 days (August-December) and
consecutive years from 2012. 30 years normal rainfall
during the non-monsoon seasons, water will be
data from Tambaram station (major influencing station)
available for 90 days (January-March). Based on this
has been considered. Paddy is considered as the major
assumption, recharge from water bodies has been
wet crop when compared to other crops. The percentage
calculated as follows.
of return flow from irrigation, the seepage factor for
water bodies’ recharge, rainfall infiltration factors etc. Seepage=A×N×Si
have been considered as per the GEC norms as given in
A= Water spread area
the GEC-97 methodology. The monsoon period is
N= No. of days water available
normally from June to December and the non-monsoon
Si= seepage factor
period is from January to May.
(iii) Recharge from field irrigation
4. Results and Discussions
The process of re-entry of a part of the water used for
Stage of groundwater development for the selected
irrigation is called the return flow. Percolation from the
study area is assessed by estimating the various recharge
applied irrigation water was derived both from the
and discharge components. The present study
surface water (Rsw) and groundwater sources (Rgw). It
extensively used the Groundwater resources Estimation
constitutes one of the major components of the
Committee norms and procedures.
groundwater recharge. The area under wetland irrigation
Recharge Components was estimated based on the village administrative
records, intensive field surveys and discussions with
(i) Recharge from rainfall (Rrf)
local farmers. 45% of the monsoon draft can be taken as
Rainfall is the major source of recharge for recharge for the paddy cultivated area and for non-
groundwater. The five influencing rain gauge stations paddy 25% of the monsoon draft can be taken as
for the study area are, Tambaram, Tharamani, recharge.
Kelambakkam, Paddapai and Meenambakkam. The
Different percentages of drafts for areas having less than
major influencing station is Tambaram. The normal
10 m water table between 10 m and 25 m water table
rainfall of Tambaram station is (1200 mm) considered
and greater than 25 m, can be used. The percentage
for the assessment of the rainfall recharge. The normal
adopted in the present estimation is based on the reports
non monsoon rainfall is 120 mm. The total area of the
for the estimation of the groundwater balance for
watershed has been calculated through digitization using
various blocks of Tamil Nadu conducted by the State
Arc Map. The area for the hilly terrain has been
Groundwater Resources and Data Centre.
estimated by land use mapping. Area for the assessment
of recharge is estimated by deducting the hilly area from Table 1 indicates the areal extent of study area for
total area. The weighted average infiltration factor is various categories and Table 2 indicates the assessment
assessed by considering the infiltration factor as per the of recharge and discharge components of groundwater
GEC methodology for hard rock (0.12) and alluvium for the study area.
(0.16). The weighted average infiltration factor for the
Irrigation return flow = Irrigated area x Applied water x
study area is 0.12.
% of Application
Monsoon recharge = A×Ri×Pm

International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering

ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 08, No. 03, June, 2015, pp. 256-258
 258 Application of Groundwater Balance Equation for Estimating the Stage of
Groundwater Development in the Urbanized Environment
Discharge Components
The groundwater draft refers to the quantity of
groundwater that is being withdrawn from the aquifer.
The groundwater draft is a key input in groundwater
resource estimation. Hence, an accurate estimation of
the ground water draft is highly essential to calculate the
actual groundwater balance available.
The groundwater in the watershed is extracted mainly
for irrigation, domestic, industrial and commercial
purposes. The summation of all the above has given the
overall groundwater extraction for the study area.
(i) Domestic demand
Total population for the selected study area is collected
from Tamil Nadu census data for the year 2001. The
population for the year 2010 is estimated by considering
the population growth rate (As per the Chennai Basin
Report of the Institute of Water Studies (IWS),
Taramani, it is given as 2%).
The exponential growth formula is
Pt = Po (1+Xt)
Xt = Population growth rate
P2010 = P2001 (1+ Xt)
Percapita demand = 100 lpcd
Estimated population = 2, 01,714
(ii) Irrigation Draft
Groundwater draft is estimated for the monsoon period
and non-monsoon period separately and it is based on
the type of well and unit draft for both the monsoon and
non-monsoon seasons. The groundwater extraction for
irrigation purposes is given as 0.4 ha m to 1 ha m for
open wells and 1 ha m for bore wells.
A sample survey conducted by the Electricity Board of
the Government of Tamil Nadu has concluded that 60%
of the annual draft for irrigation takes place during the
monsoon and 40% during the non-monsoon (SG &
SWRDC and CGWB 2003). Based on this, groundwater
draft for irrigation has been disaggregated for the
monsoon and non-monsoon seasons.
(iii) Evapotranspiration
The depth of the water level in most of the wells in the
study area is generally 2-3 m where the chance of water
loss due to capillary rise is considered as minimum.
Hence, it has been assumed that evapotranspiration or
consumptive use by the crops is mainly from the applied
irrigation water and it has already been taken into
account in the groundwater draft for irrigation.
Hence, evapotranspiration as a separate variable has not
been considered and was taken as nil in the computation
of the water balance.
International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering
ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 08, No. 03, June, 2015, pp. 256-258
(iv) Assessment of specific yield
In order to assess the specific yield, the recharge and
discharge components during the non-monsoon season
have been computed. The non-monsoon water level
data and the water level fluctuation between January
and May have been considered for the computation of
the specific yield.
Sy= (DFT (GW)-RF (GW) +B)/(h x AREA)
DFT (GW) =Dp+Di+ Dc +Dind
DFT (GW) =Total groundwater draft
RF (GW) = Groundwater return flow during the non-
monsoon
Dp= Draft for domestic purposes
Di=Irrigation draft
Dc= Draft for commercial purposes
Dind = Draft for industrial purposes
Sy =Specific yield
B= Outflow
h=Water level fluctuation
By using the above relation, value of specific yield is
computed as 0.02. As per the report of Groundwater
Resources Estimation Committee (GEC), it is indicated
that suggested specific yield value for weathered
granite, gneiss and schist with low clay content is 0.03
and it may vary from .02 to 0.04 after performing series
of pumping tests.
Normalization of Rainfall
The normalisation procedure requires that different sets
of data on recharge and associated rainfall are first
obtained. The rainfall recharge based on the water table
fluctuation is estimated (Ri) using the formula given
below.
Ri = h(WTF) x Sy x A + GWDm– GWIRm – RCm–RTm
Where h(WTF) = Water level fluctuation in m
Sy= specific Yield;
A = geographical area in m2;
GWDm= Gross groundwater draft during the monsoon
period;
GWIRm= Return flow from groundwater irrigation
during the monsoon period;
RCm= recharge from canals and rivers in Mm3;
RTm= recharge from tanks and ponds in Mm3
After finding out the ‘Ri’ (rainfall recharge based on
WTF) during the monsoon period the estimate has to be
normalized with the normal monsoon season rainfall (r i)
for the recent 30 to 50 or 70 years.
Normalised rainfall recharge based on the water table
fluctuation = 10.94 Mm3
Normal rainfall recharge based on the infiltration factor
method = 8.12 Mm3
 S P ACKIALAKSHMI
PD = Rrf(wtf) – Rrf(rif)/ Rrf (rif)
Rrf(wtf) = Recharge from rainfall(Watertablefluctuation
method)
Rrf(rif) = Recharge from rainfall(Rainfall infiltration
method)
Percentage Difference (PD) = 10.94-8.12/8.12= 34.75%
Normalized Rainfall Recharge (NRR) is computed by
considering the following criterion
NRR = 1.2* Rrf(rif), (PD>20)
= 0.8* Rrf(rif) (PD <-20)
= Rrf(wtf) (PD <20)
NRR during monsoon= 9.74 Mm3
Monsoon recharge = (Rrf+Rsw+Rgw+Rt)m
= 9.74+3+1.32+0.62=14.68 Mm3
Non monsoon recharge = (Rrf+Rsw+Rgw+Rt)nm
= 0.81+4.6+3.97+.37=9.75 Mm3
Annual recharge = 24.43Mm3
As per the GEC-97 methodology, detailed data for the
quantitative assessment of the natural discharge is not
generally available. Considering these factors, it is
recommended that 5% to 10% of the total annual
groundwater potential may be assigned to account for
natural discharges in the non-monsoon season. The
balance will account for the existing ground water
withdrawal for various uses and the potential for future
development. This quantity is termed as the net annual
ground water availability. The net groundwater
availability is taken as 90% of the annual recharge.
Based on this consideration the net groundwater
availability is 22Mm3.
Potential for future development
=Net G.W availability –Total existing draft
= 2.26 Mm3
Categorization Recommended by GEC-97
The categorization of the groundwater assessment units
is done based on the stage of groundwater development
in a particular assessment unit. It considered two factors
for the categorization of assessment units. 1. The stage
of development 2.The long term groundwater trend.
Stage of development= (GW utilization/Net GW
availability) x100
= 89% (Semi critical)
The groundwater level data of the pre monsoon and post
monsoon seasons of the area for a minimum period of
10 years should be considered as the range of water
table trends assumed as
(i) Rising if ‘Z’ is -5 cm /year
(ii) Falling if ‘Z’ is +5 cm/year
International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering
ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 08, No. 03, June, 2015, pp. 256-258
259
(iii) Neither rise nor fall if ‘Z’ is between -5 cm/year
and +5 cm/year
Where Z is long-term trend of rise/fall in
groundwater level.
Based on the above 2 factors, the following
characterization procedure is recommended. This
recommended characterization was implemented in the
groundwater resource estimation during 2004. Figure 2(a)
and (b) indicate the long term trend of the groundwater
level.
Where N = No. of years
X= corresponding Year and Y= water level for the
corresponding year in m
Based on the above equation, the trend for 10 years
(2001-2010) water level fluctuation during pre-monsoon
and post-monsoon has been assessed as explained in the
GEC-97 methodology. The observation wells of
Injambakkam, Pallikaranai, Muttukadu, Akkarai,
Vengaivasal and Madurapakkam were considered as the
representative wells and the average water level was
used for assessing the long term groundwater trend.
Revised Categorization
The Committee on the Groundwater Estimation
Methodology in hard rock terrain in 2004 suggested
certain modifications in characterization by revising the
criteria to be considered for the long term groundwater
level trend (Table 3). The revised recommendations on
the long term groundwater level trend are that the long
term groundwater data should preferably be a period
of10 years, and the significant rate of water level
decline may be taken between 10 cm and 20 cm per
year, depending upon the local hydro-geological
conditions. Table 3 indicates the revised categorization
criteria for the assessment of groundwater development.
Accordingly, the value of ‘Z’ mentioned above, would
be 10 cm and 20 cm /year. In order to eliminate the
ambiguities in the categorization by the existing
methodology, the following procedure is suggested
(Rao et al 2010). The committee recommended the
above modifications to be adopted in all types of rock
formations other than hard rock. Based on the revised
categorization, the present study assessed the stage of
development as <=70% and <=90%, and the
considerable positive declination of 3 cm/year during
pre-monsoon. Though the rate of decline is not very
significant, the considerable falling trend during pre-
monsoon categorized the watershed as the semi-critical
stage for further development.
 260 Application of Groundwater Balance Equation for Estimating the Stage of
Groundwater Development in the Urbanized Environment

5. Summary and Conclusion Acknowledgment

The study is focused on assessing the various
groundwater recharge and discharge components in part
of southern Chennai Metropolitan Area. The approach
of the present study is to assess the components using
water balance method as recommended by Groundwater
Estimation Committee (GEC).The state of development
of groundwater was found to be 78% which indicates
that the area is in "semi critical" state which is a cause
of concern for the future generations. Significant water
level fluctuation is experienced in the shallow aquifer of
hard rock formation, irrespective of the rainfall
occurrence and this threatens the water availability for
the future and requires augmentation measures for
sustainable management.
The main reason for the present scenario is continuous
extraction and inadequate recharge measures. Most of
the wells located in the selected study area villages used
for commercial purposes where huge amount of
groundwater is extracted and marketed for urban uses.
The packaged water industries located in the study area
villages are also targeting the deep layer of ground
water aquifers. Moreover in the estimation process, the
prevailing commercial extraction of groundwater
particularly for urban uses is excluded as it is highly
fluctuated. Groundwater is an important natural
resource with high economic value and sociological
significance. It is important that this resource be utilized
in such a manner that a permanent depletion of the
resource in both quantity and quality aspects is avoided
and that any other environmental impacts.
It demands the groundwater regulatory and legal
framework that has to be developed to optimize
groundwater use on sustainable basis. Research shows
that watershed based developmental activities through
percolation ponds, check dams and rainwater harvesting
structures have resulted in enhancing groundwater
recharge and considerable rise in groundwater levels.
It is imperative task that has to be implemented
especially in places where the uncontrolled groundwater
extraction is entertained for urban uses. (Palanisami and
Suresh Kumar, 2002). There is an urgent need to restore
the tanks (surface water sources) and judicious use of
groundwater and surface water should be insisted
keeping in mind that long term implications of
overexploitation of groundwater (www.dhan.org.). A
groundwater assessment and estimation study should be
conducted periodically for a better understanding of
groundwater fluctuation. Further the study emphasis the
measures for demand management rather than supply
augmentation, awareness programmes, public
participation that may provide enabling environment for
sustainable management of the vulnerable resources
The author thanks the departments of state and central
groundwater board for providing the data for the
assessment of groundwater balance. The author would
like to acknowledge the Sathyabama University for
facilitating the necessary support to conduct the
research.
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International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering

ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 08, No. 03, June, 2015, pp. 256-258
 S P ACKIALAKSHMI 261

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International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering

ISSN 0974-5904, Vol. 08, No. 03, June, 2015, pp. 256-258

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