Impact of Rainwater Recharging on the Yield of Borewells at the GKVK Campus, Bengaluru

Abstract

The study was conducted to analyze the effect of recharging the borewells through rooftop rainwater and runoff water harvesting from open fields during the year 2020-21. Nine borewells were chosen for the study, with seven borewells using various recharge strategies and two borewells serving as controls. The yield from these borewells is measured at 15-day intervals on a regular basis. During the Kharif season of 2020-21, three borewells (BW1, BW3, and BW5) measured a constant discharge of 0.3 lps, 0.4 lps and 3.2 lps respectively, four borewells (BW2, BW4, BW6, and BW7) measured a rise in discharge from 2.4-2.8 lps, 2.3-2.4 lps, 2.2-2.6 lps, and 1.6-2 lps, respectively, and two borewells (BW 8 and BW9) without any recharge technique measured a drop in discharge from 3-2lps and 2.4-2lps, respectively. During the subsequent Rabi season five borewells (BW1, BW2, BW3, BW4 and BW6) showed a constant discharge of 0.3lps, 2.8lps, 0.4lps, 2.4lps and 2.6lps respectively, two borewells (BW5 and BW7) continued to have an increased discharge 3.2-3.4lps and 1.8-2 lps, respectively and the two control borewells (BW 8 and BW9) continued to show a decrease in the discharge from 2-1.8lps and 1.9-1.8lps, respectively. As a result, the procedure of recharging of borewells through rainwater had a significant impact on borewell yield. The yield of recharged borewell had shown an increase in discharge or had a constant discharge during the Rabi season.