Development of groundwater flow model (Modflow) to simulate the escalating groundwater pumping in the Punjab, Pakistan.

Aamir Shakoor; Muhammad Arshad; Riaz Ahmad; Zahid Mahmood Khan; Uzair Qamar; H. Umar Farid; Muhammad Sultan; Fiaz Ahmad

doi:10.21162/PAKJAS/18.4909

Aamir Shakoor Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakariya University,Multan,Pakistan

Muhammad Arshad Department of Irrigation and Drainage, University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan

Riaz Ahmad Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan

Zahid Mahmood Khan Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakariya University,Multan,Pakistan

Uzair Qamar Department of Irrigation and Drainage, University of Agriculture,Faisalabad,Pakistan

H. Umar Farid Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakariya University,Multan,Pakistan

Muhammad Sultan Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan,Pakistan;International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), Kyushu University, Japan.

Fiaz Ahmad Department of Agricultural Engineering, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan;

The application of groundwater resources in Punjab, Pakistan to meet the crop water requirements is increasing rapidly due to constrained surface water supplies. However, the abundant abstraction of groundwater has created serious negative concerns in terms of lowering water table. Thus the sustainability of regional groundwater resources depends upon its proficient management through groundwater modeling technique. Therefore, a research was accomplished to quantify the groundwater pumping and to identify the groundwater depletion areas using MODFLOW model. Three pumping scenarios were developed up to year 2030: such as Scenario-I (Maintaining the current pumping rate for the study period); Scenario-II (Increase in pumping rate according to the historical trend); and Scenario-III (Adjusted canal water supplies and groundwater patterns). The results of Scenario-I indicated that the groundwater level would decline up to 14m for the study period. Scenario-II results showed maximum decline of groundwater level, which would be 18m up to year 2030. The adjusted canal and groundwater supplies among upper and middle part of the study area in Scenario-III, which will recover the groundwater by 2-3m in the middle part of the study area, gave a good management strategy. So, in lower and middle part of study area, groundwater should be artificially recharged and more canal should be supplied water to avoid depletion.