GIS Aided Prospect Siting of Boreholes for Maximum Yield

Groundwater contributes significantly to total annual water supply. Overexploitation has depleted groundwater availability at some places. Assessing the potential zone of groundwater recharge is extremely important for the protection of water quality and the management of groundwater systems. Groundwater potential zones are demarked with the help of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Preliminary results indicate a high correlation between drilling success and proximity to lineaments and drainage lines where water ‘pass' underground. 64 boreholes and wells were investigated. 40.6% were non-functional or dried up due to several reasons but chiefly, due to poor siting away from drainage lines in which case the water table drops during the dry season. 59.4% were functioning. 58% were found to be poorly sited away from drainage lines and lineaments. 68% of this were non-functional confirming the need for unit drainage maps to aid siting water wells and boreholes within communities. 45% of all wells and boreholes are yielding less than they ought to yield. These figures go to confirm the need to use Remote Sensing Techniques and GIS for Community Drainage Maps to aid drillers and community folks in siting wells and boreholes for maximum yield.