Akter et al. (2026) Surface Water–Groundwater–Rainwater Interactions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: A Critical Review of Modeling and Decision-Support Approaches

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Identification

• Journal: Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-09
• Authors: Aysha Akter, Ayman Mahdia Khan, Sultan Mohammad Farooq
• DOI: 10.3390/hydrology13090242

Research Groups

• Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET)
• University of Chittagong
• Bangladesh Meteorological Department

Short Summary

This study reviews the hydrological characteristics, modeling approaches, and decision-support strategies for the Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeastern Bangladesh. The review highlights three key gaps: inadequate groundwater monitoring, absence of calibrated coupled modeling for fractured aquifers, and limited integration of socio-economic factors in rainwater-harvesting feasibility.

Objective

• Investigate the hydrological paradox in mountainous regions, specifically the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and identify knowledge gaps in water-resource planning.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional scale (Chittagong Hill Tracts)
• Temporal Scale: Long-term (decadal) to short-term (daily)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: SWAT, MODFLOW, SWMM, coupled surface water–groundwater models, machine-learning (ML) models, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)
• Data sources: Literature review, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology datasets, Bangladesh Meteorological Department data

Main Results

• Standalone models are inadequate for representing cross-domain processes in steep, complex terrain.
• Coupled surface water–groundwater models can improve process representation with sufficient data availability.
• Machine-learning models can improve predictive suitability mapping but depend on data quality and validation design.

Contributions

• Identified key gaps in groundwater monitoring, coupled modeling, and socio-economic integration for rainwater-harvesting feasibility.
• Proposed a staged modeling pathway to address these knowledge gaps.

Funding

• Not specified

Citation

@article{Akter2026Surface,
  author = {Akter, Aysha and Khan, Ayman Mahdia and Farooq, Sultan Mohammad},
  title = {Surface Water–Groundwater–Rainwater Interactions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: A Critical Review of Modeling and Decision-Support Approaches},
  journal = {Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/hydrology13090242},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology13090242}
}