Well Spacing in Central Indian Punjab: A Case Study

Groundwater has been falling at a very fast rate in Central Indian Punjab, which represents about 80% of the state's area. Consequently, centrifugal pumps used earlier by farmers for pumping groundwater are being replaced by costly submersible pumps. When these tubewells are spaced close to each other and operated simultaneously, their discharge is reduced due to well interference. This study was carried out to determine the optimal well spacing in Central Indian Punjab that would not reduce discharge due to well interference. The safe distance between wells varied from 501.12 m to 676.84 m. The drawdown in the wells due to pumping varied from 1.60 m to 2.09 m. The discharge of wells varied from 18.53 l/s to 21.67 l/s. Reduction in discharge due to well interference was 2.50 l/s to 3.93 l/s and varied from about 14% to 20% in the study area.