Sustainable water resource management using remote sensing and GIS
Student name: Ms Kamini Yadav
Guide: Mr V.S.P.Sinha
Year of completion: 2010
Host Organisation: Regional Remote Sensing Centre/ISRO (West), Jodhpur
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr J. R. Sharma
Abstract: Agriculture plays a vital role in the economic development of the State and continues to be the backbone of the economy. In the coming years, agriculture will face many challenges due to the rising population. This will directly increase the demand for food and non-agricultural sectors, like industry and urbanization will put greater demand on land and water resources available for agriculture. Hence, there is a greater need for conservation and efficient utilization of natural resources. Agriculture needs intensification of production and improved efficiency in use of resources. Green revolution has been diffused in most of the areas due to which subsistence agriculture is shifting towards intensive agricultural practices. Crop pattern and type is also changing from livestock to commercial nature of the cultivated crops. Cropping pattern in an area depends on the local microclimate and availability of water resources. Due to change in agricultural practices, pattern and type, water requirement of these crops also vary. Crop water requirement depends on the specific crop characteristics, soil texture and climatic conditions. In semi arid environment, due to climatic conditions surface water is not available for irrigation purpose. On the basis of climate data, soil data and crop characteristics, irrigation requirement can be estimated using CROPWAT. The crops with high irrigation requirement exploit the ground water resources at very high rate than the rate of infiltration to the ground. The ground water is not able to replenish to achieve the domestic, agricultural and domestic demand of water. So natural balance of water resources may be affected by their practices, sometime it enhances the water resources and diminishes also. Water efficient crop combinations should be implemented in the dry lands to have sustainable development of water resources and food security. Sustainable use of water can be done if the crop combinations are of less irrigation requirement and high economic value. In the present study, some crops have been selected and irrigation requirement was calculated using CROPWAT which will be further used as discharge for simulating the ground water/ surface water budget and aquifer dynamics in MODFLOW. Evapotranspiration and percolation was calculated in SWAT model to be used for simulating the impact of different crops on the peizometer wells in the agricultural area. It is necessary to evaluate the ground water and surface water status as per their cropping pattern and type. Water efficient crops should be promoted for arid region where they can sustain easily and contribute to the sustainable management of resources and also food requirement. Agro-horticulture, medicinal plants, agro-silviculture can aid in the water productivity and good economic status.
Keywords: Crop water requirement, CROPWAT, MODFLOW, SWAT, Aquifer dynamics
