Monitoring of ground water level fluctuation in Chittur, Palakkad

Chittur is one of the places in Kerala that is marked as critical in the case of groundwater extraction. The over-exploitation of groundwater for irrigation combined with the leakage of water through geological fractures had resulted in the seasonal fluctuation in the groundwater level of the area. This marks the need for a study of groundwater level fluctuation in the area for effective management of groundwater. To combat the present threats, like the excess groundwater extraction and reclamation activities in the Chittur block of Palakkad district, it is necessary to develop a groundwater model. This paper presents the study of groundwater fluctuation in Chittur over seven years (2016–2022) using a numerical model (FEFLOW). The outcome shows a noticeable drop in groundwater level from 0.1 to 16 m over seven years, validated with the real field data. The prediction of the groundwater level indicates a drop in water level by an average of 9 m by the end of 2050.