Estimation of Regional Groundwater Discharge and Baseflow Contribution in Northern Stretch of the Yamuna River System of Delhi

Urban agglomerations in India of late have started facing drinking and domestic water scarcity. The city state of Delhi has witnessed accelerated urbanization and an exponential growth in population. In this context, it is desired to locate sustainable groundwater resources in Delhi. This communication examines the northern stretch of the Yamuna floodplain system in Delhi with respect to source sustainability. An aquifer can sustain extensive exploitation only if it is replenished regularly. Though the river floodplain system gets recharged by monsoon flooding, the recharged water may not sustain the source aquifer until the end of summer. Thus before exploitation all floodplains have to be examined vis-à-vis regional groundwater dynamics. In this context it was found that the floodplain system in the northern stretch of River Yamuna receives considerable regional groundwater flow. Some of this also contributes to river flow. The present study has estimated regional groundwater flow in this aquifer stretch of the Yamuna river system as 10,513,460 m³/yr (~11 MCM/yr). Besides, the yearly baseflow contribution to the Yamuna in the study area has been estimated as 518,472 m³/yr (~0.5 MCM/yr).