Assessing and forecasting of groundwater level fluctuation in Joypurhat district, northwest Bangladesh, using wavelet analysis and ARIMA modeling

Groundwater resource plays a crucial role for agricultural crop production and socio-economic development in some parts of the world including Bangladesh. Joypurhat district, the northwest part of Bangladesh, a crop production hub, is entirely dependent on groundwater irrigation. A precise assessment and prediction of groundwater level (GWL) can assist long-term groundwater resources (GWR) management, especially in drought-prone agricultural regions. Therefore, this study was carried out to identify trends and magnitude of GWL fluctuation (1980–2019) using the modified Mann–Kendall test, Pettitt’s test, and Sen slope estimators in the drought-prone Joypurhat district, northwest Bangladesh. Time-series data analysis was performed to forecast GWL from 2020 to 2050 using the Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. The findings of the MMK test revealed a significant declining trend of GWL, and the trend turning points were identified in the years 1991, 1993, 1997, and 2004, respectively. Results also indicate that the declining rate of GWL varied from 0.104 to 0.159 m/year and the average rate of GWL declination was 0.136 m/year during 1980–2019. The outcomes of wavelet spectrum analysis depicted two significant periods of the declining trend in Khetlal and Akkelpur upazilas. The results obtained from the optimal identified model ARIMA (2, 1, 0) indicate that GWL will decline at a depth of 13.76 m in 2050, and the average declination rate of GWL will be 0.143 m/year in the study area. The predicted results showed a similar declining tendency of GWL from 2020 to 2050, suggesting a disquieting condition, particularly for Khetlal upazila. This research would provide a practical approach for GWL assessment and prediction that could help decision-makers implement long-term GWR management in the study area.