Hydrogeology of jammu and kashmir

1. Hydrogeology of
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
MOHAMMAD IMRAN KHAN
Int.[B.Sc.(H) Geology]-M.Sc.Geology – 5th
Sem
Department of Geology (University of Delhi)
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2. INTRODUCTION
 lies between 32°17`N to 37°6`N
latitude and 73°26`E to 80°30`E longitude
(Husain, 2006)
 The name of Kashmir implies “land
desiccated from water”(Sanskrit Ka water,
Shimira to desiccate)
 In Sanskrit Puranas (chapter VIII of
Avanadikosha) the meaning of the word
Kashmir is given as ‘land, ruling in which
is difficult’.
 Total Geographical Area – 222,236 km2
(which includes 78,932 km2 under illegal
occupation of Pakistan and China)
 Major parts are high and rugged
mountainous terrain
 Administrative Divisions –
1. Kashmir Division comprising Kashmir
and Ladakh region
2. Jammu Division coprising of Jammu
region 2

3. Hydrometeorology
 Major Water Bodies:
i) Himalayan rivers: Jhelum
(and tributaries), Chenab,
Indus .
ii) Glaciers: Biafo Glacier,
Siachen Glacier, Baltoro
Glacier, Hispur
Glacier,Nubra Glacier
iii) Lakes: Dal Lake, Manasbal
Lake, and Wular Lake.
 The state experiences varied
climatic conditions in
different regions.
1. Ladakh Region
• Cold continental arid type (occupies Leh and Kargil districts) climate.
• Annual precipitation - 150 mm in the form of rain and snow
• The temperature falls down to -50C to 350C during winter.
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4. Hydrometeorology
2. Kashmir Region
• Has moderate climate.
• Annual precipitation - 660 mm (about 65% of the precipitation occurs in the form of
snow during winter).
• The temperature drops between -80C and 120C during winter and attains a moderate
temperature (350C) during summer
3. Jammu Region
 Climate is sub-humid to sub-tropical
 Annual precipitation - 1070 mm (mainly in the form of rainfall).
 Temperature in plain areas goes upto 450C during summer and drops to as low as 30C
during winter season.
 Dras (often called ‘The Gateway of Ladakh’, a town in Kargil), the second
coldest inhabited place in the world, fall in this region.
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5. Groundwater Resources
• Geological formations ranging in age from Pre-Cambrian to Recent are found in the
state.
• The hydro geological set up in the state is very complicated owing to varied geological
settings and ground water conditions.
1. Ladakh Region
• In Leh plain of Ladakh region the sediments consist of moranic and fluvio-glacial
boulders, cobbles underlain by lacustrine deposits consisting of clay and silt.
• The Leh plain covers an area of about 100 km2
• GW generally occurs under unconfined conditions.
2. Kashmir Region
• Kashmir valley covers an area of 5600 km2 and is occupied by Karewas
• The aggregate thickness of these sediments is of the order of 2500-3000 m.
• GW in the Karewas of Kashmir valley occurs under both the confined as well as
unconfined conditions.
What are Karewas ?? 5

6. Groundwater Resources
3. Jammu Region
 The occurrence of GW is primarily confined to three alluvial regions-
1. Piedmont deposits of the outer plain of Jammu (Kandi & Sirowal)
2. Dune belt of the Outer Himalayas
3. Isolated valley fill deposits in the lesser Himalayas
1. Outer Plains of Jammu
 In Outer Plains of Jammu region the GW occurs in piedmont deposits belonging
to Upper Pleistocene to Recent age
 Siwalik’s piedmont deposits exists in two types
i. Kandi Belt characterized by deeper water table conditions
ii. Sirowal Belt (to the south of Kandi bellt) characterized by shallow water table
conditions
Why water table is increasing to the south of Siwalik ??
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7. GW Resources-Jammu
I. Kandi Belt
 Typical Kandi Fm comprise very
coarse material with little clay
 Occurrence of Perched water
bodies is a common phenomenon
 GW generally occurs under
unconfined conditions
 Primary source of GW is rainfall
 Confined conditions do not exists
 The nature of sediments make the
zone of saturation lie at great
depth.
II. Sirowal belt
 Kandi belt coalesce into Sirowal in
the south, which is finer outwash
of Siwalik debris brought by
streams. 7

8. GW Resources-Jammu
Sirowal Belt(cont.)
 GW occurs under both the confined and
unconfined conditions
 Characterized by shallow WT conditions
 The overall pattern of the WT contours is
suggestive of effluent nature of all three major
rivers of the area.
2. Dune Belt
 Separates the Siwalik hills in the middle
Himalayas and runs as a series of river terraces
between basohli in the east to Riasi and
beyond in the west.
 GW depth fluctuates between 80 to 130 m
Kishtwar: The land of saffron and
Sapphire
3. Isolated Valley Fill
 In the middle Himalayas a no. of isolated valley exists comprising of lacustrine to
fluvio-glacial sediments.
 GW generally occurs under confined conditions.
 For Example – Kishtwar valley in Doda dist. 8

9. GW Level Conditions
 DTW is monitored through the network of hydrographs established in
different parts of the state.
 In Ladakh no monitoring is done due to the area being inaccessible for most
parts of the year.
 In Kashmir valley there exists a total of 58 network stations which are not
being monitored due to law and other problems.
 A hydrograph network of 143 GW monitoring stations in the Jammu province
is operated by the CGWB.
1. Kandi Belt
 Upper Kandi belt is characterized by deep WT
 DTW in Lower Kandi belt generally ranges b/w
3-10 mbgl and 2-7 mbgl during premonsoon and
postmonsoon season respectively
 The change in the DTW reflects a lithological
variation, i.e., an increase in finer sediments
away fom the hills. 9

10. GW Level Conditions
2. Sirowal Belt
 Characterized by shallow WT conditions
 DTW ranges b/w 1-12 mbgl
 Towards the SW the WT is shallowest
 There are few locations in the Sirowal
belt where the WT intercepts the land
surface to give rise to springs.
 The spring alignment roughly marks the
boundary b/w the Kandi and the Sirowal
belt.
Hydrograph of a well
Of Akhnoor village
showing the fluctuation
Of DTW from Dec 1985
To Dec 2011.
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11. Groundwater Quality
 It is generally believed that the GW
resources in J&K are good for drinking
purposes.
 The average monitoring results of GW
studies show that the general pH of the
water varies from 6.5 to 8.5 showing its
suitability for drinking purposes.(Nagar
1996).
 Fluoride and Nitrate concentrations
beyond the permissible limits are
reported in some of the samples collected
from Doda, Jammu and Rajouri districts.
 Thus it can be concluded that the overall
quality of groundwater is good and
suitable for domestic and irrigation use
except small part of the state.
Groundwater quality parameters of Jammu
Region with WHO and ISI standards.11

12. Groundwater Development &
Sustainability
 GW development in the state is very limited compared to vast irrigation potential.
 As per the reports of WHRC-NIH, the Jammu region has only 425 tube wells and
77 dug wells.
 GW development in the foothills of Jammu and Kathua districts is only about 5%
of the recharge potential.
 During the current decade, excessive water applications for irrigation has caused
over exploitation of the local water resources and has adversely affected the soil
productivity in some blocks through salinization and leaching of valuable plant
nutrient elements from the soil.
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13. Conclusion &
Recommendations
 Water resources in Jammu and Kashmir are limited and highly variable. The
judicious use of these resources is essential.
 GW is, by and large, used for drinking purposes in the region as it is not much
exploitted in the foothills for irrigation.
 The cost of boring is very high due to the rugged topography, hard stones and
the deep water table in many parts of the Siwaliks. Thus, many of the farmers
can not afford to use the GW.
 Shortage of water for irrigation purposes is the main problem for cultivation in
Jammu and Kashmir state.
 In valley areas, in addition to traditional ground water structures like dug wells
& springs, shallow to medium depth tube wells can be constructed for
developing the ground water resource.
 Roof top rainwater harvesting practices must be adopted in hilly areas. Because
of hilly terrain, maximum rainfall goes of as runoff and a very small quantity
contributes towards ground water replenishment.
 Traditional resources like springs need to be revived developed & protected on
scientific lines for various use.
SAVE WATER SAVE LIFE
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14. References
1. Angelos N. Findikakis & K. Sato, Groundwater Management Practices, CRC
Press Taylor & Francis Group, 2011. Page – 93-109
2. Sanjay Arora, Sustainable Water Resourse Management in the foothills of the
Siwaliks, Northwest India. S.K. University of Agricultural sciences and
technology, Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir), India.
3. A. N. Raina, 2002. Geography of Jammu & Kashmir State, 1st edition. Radha
Krishan Anand & Co. Pacca Danga, Jammu.
4. A. S. Jasrotia and Ajay Kumar, 2014. Groundwater Quality Mapping Based on
the Geographical Information System (GIS) of Jammu District, Jammu and
Kashmir, India. Journal of Spatial Hydrology. Vol.12, No.1 Fall 2014.
5. Ground Water Scenario of Himalayan Region, India. Edited by Sushil Gupta.
CGWB, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India. 2014.
6. Dynamic Ground Water Resources of Jammu & Kashmir (2008-2009).
Prepared by Irrigation & Flood Control Government of J&K and CGWB, North
Western Himalayan Region Ministry of Water Resources Jammu (Jammu &
Kashmir).
7. Groundwater Information Booklet. Jammu district, Jammu and Kashmir.
CGWB, North Western Himalayan Region, Jammu (J&K).
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15. MOHAMMAD IMRAN KHAN
Int.[B.Sc.(H) Geology]-M.Sc.Geology – 5th
Sem
Department of Geology (University of
Presentation By :
SAVE WATER SAVE LIFE 15