An Investigation into Groundwater Exploitation in Abhar Plain and Determination of Maximum Well Deepening

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic Azad University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

2 water Engineering, facultyof agriculture, university of zanjan, zanjan, iran

Abstract

Limitated fresh water resources in Iran and increasing need for sustainable water resources have attracted great attention to groundwater. However, the renewability of aquifers has worsened owing to drought and climate changes. Groundwater supplies in Abhar plain which provide water for Abhar and Khorramdareh cities have been dramatically affected by over-drilling, which resulted in a sharp drop in the water level. Consequently, deepening of wells has been applied in this area. In this study, the groundwater resources of Abhar plain were investigated to determine the optimum depth in well deepening. To this end, Abhar plain aquifer volume was determined using ArcGIS software. Considering the current conditions of the plain and water resources management policies, three different scenarios were used to predict and evaluate the future conditions of the plain aquifer. The results of these scenarios demonstrated that in the case of current exploitation method, a large area of the western part of the plain would thoroughly dry over the next 25 years, and the saturated aquifer extent will diminish to 65% of the current level. The study findings illustrated the critical role of limiting the agricultural well depth as a management strategy in retarding the aquifer drying trend and slowing down the decreasing rate of the saturated aquifer level.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Akbari M, Jarge MR, Madani Sadat H (2009) Assessment of decreasing of groundwater-table using Geographic Information System (GIS) (Case study: Mashhad Plain Aquifer). Journal of Water and Soil Conservation 16(4):63-78 (In Persian)
Bijani M, Moridi A, Majdzadeh Tabatabaie MR (2016) Investigation of well deepening effects on aquifer yield using numerical model. Iran-Water Resources Research 12(4):83-92 (In Persian)
Fazeli Farsani A, Naseri H, Karimi Ardajani H, Mohamadi Z (2008) The calculation of maximum of increasing agricultural wells' depth for underground water resources management (Case study: Broojen Plain) .In: Proc. of 12th Symposium of Geological Society of Iran, 18th February, Ahvaz, Iran (In Persian)
Iran Water Resources Management Company (2014) Groundwater restoration and balancing plan. Deputy of Water and Water Administration Office of Water and Wastewater Operations and Protection Systems. Technical Report (In Persian)
Kazemi M, Mohamadzade H, Afrouzi M, Aslani H (2011) Calculation of volume changes of Farsan-Jonghan alluvial aquifer during 20 years statistical period using Geographic Information System (GIS). In: Proc. of International Conference on Geomatics, 15th May, Iranian Surveying Organization, Tehran, Iran (In Persian)
Maroun Consulting Engineers Company (2009) Groundwater balancing studies in critical forbidden areas of Zanjan plain. Geology and Groundwater Report Abhar. Technical Report (In Persian)
Mostafaei M, Alahmadi J, Salehi M, Shahidi A (2017) The effect of different irrigation levels and density on functional properties of Quinoa. In: Proc. of 1st National Congress on the New Opportunities for Production and Employment in Agriculture Sector of Eastern Iran, 15th February, University of Birjand, Iran (In Persian)
Reginal Water Company of Zanjan (2018) Groundwater resources identification studies report in Abhar study area. Deputy of Conservation and Operation of Water Resources, Technical Report (In Persian)
Rezaie E, Zeinalzade   K, Nabeghi J (2019) Determining of maximum of increasing agricultural wells' depth by combining mathematical models. In: Proc. of 1st International and 4th National Congress on Iranian Irrigation and Drainage, 13th November, Urmia, Iran (In Persian)
Sazabandish Consulting Engineers Company (2013) Justification report extending prohibition on Abhar plain. Deputy of Conservation and Operation of Water Resources, Technical Report (In Persian)
Sedaghat M (1999) Earth and water resources. Payam Noor University Press, 322p (In Persian)
Zeraati E (2018) Determining optimized depth of wells for extension considering integrated water resources management and climate change in a watershed. M.Sc. Thesis, School of Civil Engineering, University of Sistan & Baluchestan (In Persian)
 

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 03 July 2020
  • Revise Date: 05 April 2021
  • Accept Date: 07 April 2021

Share

How to cite

Statistics