Kumar et al. (2025) Sustainability and resiliency of regional groundwater through enhanced conveyance and application efficiencies of irrigation water

Identification

• Journal: Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-10-07
• Authors: Manoj Kumar, D. K. Singh, A. Sarangi, Indra Mani, Manoj Khanna
• DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1654597

Research Groups

• ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chandigarh, India
• ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
• ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, Bhuvneshwar, India
• Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, India

Short Summary

This study utilized groundwater modeling to assess the impact of various irrigation efficiencies on groundwater levels in an intensively cultivated Indian village, revealing that only high-efficiency drip irrigation can effectively reverse the alarming groundwater depletion trend. The research provides quantitative insights into how improved water management technologies can contribute to sustainable groundwater use in water-stressed agricultural regions.

Objective

• To assess the sustainability and resiliency of regional groundwater resources by simulating the impact of enhanced conveyance and application efficiencies of irrigation water on groundwater table fluctuations in Rasoolpur Jatan village, Muzaffarnagar district, India.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Rasoolpur Jatan village, Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, India, covering an area of approximately 336 hectares.
• Temporal Scale: Meteorological data from 1980–2015; groundwater level data from 2012 and 2015; model calibrated for 2012, validated for 2015, and projected to 2030, with daily time steps within three seasonal stress periods (July-October, November-February, March-June).

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • MODFLOW (McDonald and Harbaugh, 1988): A three-dimensional finite-difference groundwater flow model.
  • Processing MODFLOW for Windows (PMWIN), version 5.3: For model input and visualization.
  • FAO CROPWAT 8.0 model: For estimating crop water requirements.
• Data sources:
  • Daily meteorological data (rainfall, minimum and maximum temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, sunshine duration) for 1980–2015 from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
  • Groundwater level data for 2012 and 2015 from local piezometers.
  • Land use and land cover data from Bhuvan data source.
  • Soil texture analysis from field samples.
  • Hydrogeological data (aquifer characteristics, hydraulic conductivity, specific yield) from secondary sources (CGWB, 2017) and previous pumping test data.
  • Digital Elevation Model (DEM) from Bhuvan.
  • Field measurements of submersible pump discharge rates (13.32 L/s to 22.84 L/s).
  • Groundwater recharge coefficients (22% of monthly rainfall, 52% for rice return seepage, 34% for sugarcane, 23% for wheat) from GEC (2009) and CGWB (2009).

Main Results

• The MODFLOW model demonstrated high accuracy, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.94 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.27 meters during calibration, and R² of 0.93 and RMSE of 0.40 meters during validation.
• Under the baseline scenario (earthen field channels, 60% application efficiency), the groundwater table is projected to decline at a rate of 0.57 meters per year, reaching 213.84 meters above mean sea level (AMSL) by 2030.
• Improving earthen channel efficiency to 65% (Scenario 2) reduced the decline rate to 0.38 meters per year, with a projected water table of 217.20 meters AMSL by 2030, representing a 3.36-meter rise compared to the baseline.
• Implementing a pipe distribution network with 79% application efficiency (Scenario 3) resulted in a modest groundwater table rise of 0.05 meters per year, reaching 225.39 meters AMSL by 2030, an 11.55-meter rise compared to the baseline.
• Adopting a drip irrigation system with 90% application efficiency (Scenario 4) led to a significant and sustained groundwater table rise of 0.27 meters per year, projecting 229.37 meters AMSL by 2030, a 15.53-meter rise compared to the baseline.
• Estimated groundwater savings relative to the baseline scenario were 314,900 cubic meters (Scenario 2), 981,600 cubic meters (Scenario 3), and 1,363,000 cubic meters (Scenario 4).

Contributions

This study provides a novel, field-level assessment and numerical modeling of the impact of various irrigation efficiency improvements on groundwater dynamics in Rasoolpur Jatan, a highly groundwater-stressed agricultural region in India. It quantifies the effectiveness of different irrigation technologies (traditional earthen channels, improved channels, pipe networks, and drip irrigation) in mitigating or reversing groundwater decline, offering concrete, localized data and projections for policy formulation and strategic planning towards sustainable groundwater management in similar regions facing intensive agricultural water abstraction.

Funding

Doctoral research at the Division of Agricultural Engineering of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. Funding support was provided by the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, under the project “Efficient groundwater management for enhancing adaptive capacity to climate change in sugarcane-based farming system in Muzaffarnagar.”

Citation

@article{Kumar2025Sustainability,
  author = {Kumar, Manoj and Singh, D. K. and Sarangi, A. and Mani, Indra and Khanna, Manoj},
  title = {Sustainability and resiliency of regional groundwater through enhanced conveyance and application efficiencies of irrigation water},
  journal = {Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.3389/fsufs.2025.1654597},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1654597}
}