AQUIFER MAPPING AND MANAGEMENT OF GROUND WATER RESOURCES Malda District West Bengal
Category |
Aquifer Mapping |
State |
West Bengal
|
District |
Maldah |
Block |
Bamongola Chanchal-I Chanchal-Ii English Bazar Gazole Habibpur Harishchandrapur-I Harishchandrapur-Ii Kaliachak-I Kaliachak-Ii Kaliachak-Iii Manikchak Old Malda Ratua-I Ratua-Ii |
Year of Issue |
2022 |
Number of Authors |
1 |
Name of Authors |
AUTHOR: DEBASHISH BAGCHI, SC-D |
Keywords |
AQUIFER MAPPING AND MANAGEMENT OF GROUND WATER RESOURCES Malda District West Bengal |
File |
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Aquifer Mapping and Management study was taken up in Malda district with an area
of 3733 km2. Quaternary alluvial sediments comprising Younger Alluvium (Aquifer Code:
AL 01) and Older Alluvium ((Aquifer Code: AL 03) constitute the aquifers in the area, which
occurs in the depth range of 17 m to 178 m. Older Alluvium is exposed in the Barind Tract
characterized by thick layers of clay, deeper water level condition and relatively less
groundwater potential as compared to the Younger Alluvium. The Barind Tract is
conspicuous in eastern part of Malda district covering Bamongola, Habibpur, Gazole and
parts of Old Malda community development blocks. Due to variation in lithofacies, aquifer
geometry is not regular. Bore hole logs of Central Ground Water Board and state
government departments (Public Health Engineering Directorate, Agri-Irrigation
Department) have indicated a persistent clay layer, which is thinner in the northern, eastern
and central part and thicker ( 10 m) in the southern part of the district. Aquifers consisting
of medium to coarse sand and gravel are underlain by metavolcanic rocks of Garo-Rajmahal
Gap at Araidanga (Ratua-II block), Mandilpur (Old Malda block) and Narendrapur (English
Bazar block) in variable depth range of ~130 m to ~281 m. Based on subsurface lithological
data of 53 Exploratory Wells and Tube Wells, two aquifer systems (Aquifer-1A and Aquifer1B) have been identified, except in Habibpur, Old Malda and Harishchandrapur-II blocks
where only a single aquifer system has been interpreted. This is also supported by
interpretation of Vertical Electric Sounding data in Habibpur and Manikchak blocks.
Geophysical study revealed that the recommended drilling depth of tube wells in Habibpur
and Manikchak block should be between 40 and 180 m.