Investigation of groundwater level fluctuations on the Ba river basin for water resources management and planning: a GIS-based approach

Groundwater is the primary source of water supply for drinking, eating, living, and using in agriculture in the Ba river basin. In recent years, the rapid growth of the population leads to an increased need for water and food, this has put water resources under severe stress. The main objective of this study was to investigate the groundwater level fluctuations and water use information of residents in the Ba river basin. We selected and analyzed data from 56 monitoring wells and 25 boreholes from 1997 to 2017 in the research area. In addition, in situ investigation techniques for determining groundwater quality and water use are discussed in this study. The highest groundwater level contour map, the lowest groundwater level contour map, and the 3D model of the surface of the aquifer in the Ba river basin are established using inverse distance weighted interpolation technique on the GIS platform. Research shows that there are differences in groundwater between the rainy and dry seasons. Rainfall also was found as a significant factor affecting the groundwater level fluctuation. The results of the analysis have indicated that 64% of wells are contaminated with chemical, salt, ion, lime, and aluminum, while only 3% of groundwater resources are suitable for drinking and eating. The groundwater fluctuation was validated with the elevation map of the study areas. It was observed that the northern and southern-western areas had high elevation values, and these regions stretched out in the high groundwater-level fluctuation. These findings can be applied for investigating, planning, and managing water resources to develop sustainable socio-economic on the Ba river basin. This research will be helpful for planners and policy-makers to allocate groundwater resources in various sectors including drinking, eating, domestic, industry, and agriculture.