Groundwater Conditions in Part of Bundelkhand Region (Jhansi District): A Geospatial Study

Water, being the most valuable natural resource available on the surface of the earth, needs proper attention. Its poor assessment and management have made the situation very much adverse in various places. Bundelkhand is one of such places where surface and groundwater both are experiencing many anthropogenic as well as natural adversities. One of the biggest areas that is Jhansi district which covers 5024 sqkm under three tehsils and eight blocks experiences very poor groundwater conditions. Quick access to geographical, spectral, and temporal data spanning large and unreachable regions is one advantage. Space-borne technologies such as Remote sensing and GIS (Geographic Information System) have proven instrumental in evaluating, tracking, and protecting groundwater supplies. Bundelkhand’s biggest disadvantage is its geology, its underneath granitic layer, limits the seepage of rainwater which results in little groundwater recharge. In Jhansi district, out of the eight blocks, four are in semi-critical conditions (Babina, Bangra, Baragaon, Mauranipur). In this study, a methodology is proposed to govern groundwater prospect maps using the integration of Remote sensing and GIS method. The thematic layers were prepared using Sentinel-2B Satellite data such as geomorphology, lithology, and lineament density, yield of well, and land use/land cover. Using Weighted Overlay Analysis (WOA), groundwater prospects map of the study area has been prepared. In this method, all individual thematic maps and their relative attributes are assigned. Appropriate weights have been determined based on their proportional contributions to the outputs. The incorporated map generates groundwater potential zones which are reclassified into five categories like excellent, very good, good, poor, and very poor. In the study area, the northern part covers an excellent to very good groundwater prospect zone which falls mainly in Bamaur, Chirgaon, Gursarai, Mauranipur, and Moth blocks, but Babina, Baragaon, and Bangra are in poor to a very poor zone which falls in the southwestern part. The final result presents the favorable sites of groundwater prospects map.