Groundwater drought in the northwestern districts of bangladesh
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2010
Abstract
Prolonged absence of groundwater within the operating range of shallow tube-wells during dry season is a common problem in the northwestern districts of Bangladesh in the recent years. In this paper, groundwater scarcity and drought in three northwestern districts of Bangladesh have been investigated. The Cumulative Deficit approach from a threshold groundwater level has been used for the computation of severity of groundwater droughts. Monthly groundwater fluctuation data collected from 85 sites is used for the study. The study shows that groundwater scarcity in 42% area is an every year phenomenon in the region. Analysis of groundwater hydrographs and rainfall time-series reveals that ever increasing groundwater extraction for irrigation in the dry season and recurrent droughts are the causes of groundwater level drop in the region.
Keywords
Groundwater droughts, Cumulative deficit, Standardized precipitation index, Groundwater hydrographs, GIS, Bangladesh
Publication Title
Water Resources Management
Volume
24
Issue
10
Publisher
Springer Verlag
Publisher Location
VAN GODEWIJCKSTRAAT 30, 3311 GZ DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS