Spatio-temporal analysis of groundwater regime within Rawalpindi Municipal Jurisdiction, Pakistan

Abbas, Iftikhar; Rafique, Hummera; Sohl, Muhammad A.; Falak, Attia; Mahmood, Shahıd; Imran, Muhammad; Al-Zaghayer, Yousef S.; Al-Awadi, Adulrehman; Mahmood, Asif

doi:10.1080/19443994.2013.786658

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…However, in order to meet the requirements of the increased population, aggressive water pumping has almost depleted this aquifer and most currently operational tube wells are pumping water from 130-150 m deep. It was observed from the available dataset that there were only 39 operational tube wells in the study area in 1998, whereas this number grew to 278 in 2007 (Abbas et al, 2012); in 2021, WASA authorities verified 495 tube wells in the area.…”

Section: Water Extractionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Figure 4A shows the selected operational tube wells as blue triangles. During investigation, it was found that most of the tube wells in this area were being operated from the near-surface aquifer at approximately 60-m depth until 2010 (Abbas et al, 2012). However, in order to meet the requirements of the increased population, aggressive water pumping has almost depleted this aquifer and most currently operational tube wells are pumping water from 130-150 m deep.…”

Section: Water Extractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Time series subsidence evaluation using NSBAS InSAR: a case study of twin megacities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) in Pakistan

Zafar,

Javed,

Ahmed

et al. 2024

Front. Earth Sci.

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Ground deformation associated with natural and anthropogenic activities can be damaging for infrastructure and can cause enormous economic loss, particularly in developing countries which lack measuring instruments. Remote sensing techniques like interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) can thus play an important role in investigating deformation and mitigating geohazards. Rawalpindi and Islamabad are twin cities in Pakistan with a population of approximately 5.4 million, along with important government and private entities of national and international interest. In this study, we evaluate rapid paced subsidence in this area using a modified small baseline subset technique with Sentinel-1A imagery acquired between 2015 and 2022. Our results show that approximately 50 mm/year subsidence occurs in the older city of Rawalpindi, the most populated zone. We observed that subsidence in the area is controlled by the buried splays of the Main Boundary Thrust, one of the most destructive active faults in the recent past. We suggest that such rapid subsidence is most probably due to aggressive subsurface water extraction. It has been found that, despite provision of alternate water supplies by the district government, a very alarming number of tube wells are being operated in the area to extract ground water. Over 2017–2021, field data showed that near-surface aquifers up to 50–60 m deep are exhausted, and most of the tube wells are currently extracting water from depths of approximately 150–160 m. The dropping water level is proportional to the increasing number of tube wells. Lying downstream of tributaries originating from the Margalla and Murree hills, this area has a good monsoon season, and its topography supports recharge of the aquifers. However, rapid subsidence indicates a deficit between water extraction and recharge, partly due to the limitations inherent in shale and the low porosity near the surface lithology exposed in the area. Other factors amplifying the impacts are fast urbanization, uncontrolled population growth, and non-cultivation of precipitation in the area.

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Section: Water Extractionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Water Extractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time series subsidence evaluation using NSBAS InSAR: a case study of twin megacities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) in Pakistan

Zafar,

Javed,

Ahmed

et al. 2024

Front. Earth Sci.

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“…Alluvial fans mostly contain silt and clay particles along with gravel and sand. A cross-section diagram of the Rawalpindi and Islamabad areas shows that thick layers of clay have been sandwiched between the first and last aquifer layers, mostly composed of boulders and gravel, as shown in Figure 1B (Abbas et al, 2014). The main water channel, which covers the whole study area, is the Soan River, with the following tributaries: Lei Nullah, Ling Kas, the Korang River, and Gumrah Kas.…”

Section: Subsurface Geology and Digital Elevation Model (Dem) And Str...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study indicates that the groundwater in Rawalpindi City, which is adjusted to Islamabad groundwater levels, decreased by 10-14 m during 1998-2003 and decreased by 5 m during 2003-2007. Furthermore, the groundwater level reduced dramatically from 58-73 m from 2017-2021 (Abbas et al, 2014;Khan et al, 2022).…”

Section: Static Water Level (Swl) Contour Mapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of urbanization, LULC, LST, and NDVI changes on the static water table with possible solutions and water policy discussions: A case from Islamabad, Pakistan

Sohail

Manzoor²,

Ehsan³

et al. 2023

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Rapid urbanization, coupled with land use land cover changes (LULC), has caused stress on freshwater resources around the globe. As in the case of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, the population has increased significantly, creating a deficit of natural resources and affecting the environment adversely. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of urbanization and LULC on the decline of the static water table in Islamabad. It also seeks to analyze water policy issues in order to achieve sustainable water resource development. The excessive pumping of the existing groundwater has exceeded the safe limit, which is justified by the constantly growing population. However, the changes in the LULC of the study area have turned many green pastures into barren land. Our research data were obtained from the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), and Landsat Satellite images. After analyzing PMD and CDA data for the last 20 years (2000–2020), the results were interpreted using Arc GIS. It has been observed that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) value increases as the Land Surface Temperature (LST) decreases. Therefore, the overall observation is a decreasing trend in Islamabad temperatures due to the increased vegetation in the study area during the period of 2000–2020. It was observed that there has been a considerable drop in water levels due to over-pumping in a few areas. It is primarily associated with the increasing population of the capital in the last 2 decades. This study uses a survey to explore the potential locations for check dams to enhance and recharge the groundwater aquifers in the capital, Islamabad. It suggests catchment areas throughout the Margalla Hills along with different localities, such as Rumli Village, Trail 5, and Shahdara.

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“…The surface hydrology of the study area is characterized by the Korang and Soan Rivers that are fed through numerous perennial and non-perennial streams (Sajjad, 1998;Mashiatullah et al, 2010). Lei Nullah is the longest natural Frontiers in Environmental Science frontiersin.org drain originating from Margallah Hills, Islamabad, and then meanders through the center of Rawalpindi (Abbas et al, 2014).…”

Section: Study Area Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GIS-based assessment of selective heavy metals and stable carbon isotopes in groundwater of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Rana

Ali

Ashraf

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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This study applied a nuclear technique in conjunction with a classical monitoring tool to characterize the origin, fate, and behavior of metal pollutants in groundwater of Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metropolitans, which are also known as the “twin cities.” In total, 122 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed in accordance with standard methods. GIS and multivariate statistical analysis were employed for the groundwater vulnerability assessment and source apportionment. The results of the aesthetic parameters indicated that the majority of groundwater sources were tested and were colorless, odorless and tasteless in the “twin cities.” In addition, the findings of this study indicated that the concentration of pH, phosphates, copper, manganese, and zinc were within the drinking water standards in the “twin cities” as stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) at all sampling points in the study area. The groundwater quality was found unsuitable for consumption due to elevated levels of electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids at 9.83% and 4.09% of samples, respectively. The contents of arsenic and fluoride were well within the allowable range at almost all points except at one location. However, iron and lead contents were above permissible limits. A statistical analysis revealed that trace metals originated from both geogenic and anthropogenic sources such as enhanced rock-water interaction, over abstraction, evaporation enrichment, improper waste disposal, discarded batteries, cross contamination of water supply and sewerage lines, active recharge from Lie drain, and domestic, industrial, and agricultural effluents. The computed water quality index (WQI) based on heavy metals elucidated that groundwater quality was poor in most of the study area due to elevated electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, lead, iron, arsenic, and fluoride values. A highly depleted isotopic composition of 13C provides clues about the aquifer’s vulnerability from miscellaneous sources such as domestic, urban, construction, and agricultural sites and the dissolution of carbonate minerals. This study clearly indicates that a rapidly growing population, unplanned urbanization, industrialization, improper waste disposal, over abstraction, and a lack of water abstraction policies are significantly contributing toward the impairment of groundwater quality in the study area. The study strongly emphasized the need to regulate groundwater abstraction by improving water treatment and the supply system for the provision of safe water to the urban populace. These results will help in designing remedial strategies for improving water quality in the “twin cities.”

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Spatio-temporal analysis of groundwater regime within Rawalpindi Municipal Jurisdiction, Pakistan

Cited by 9 publications

References 2 publications

Time series subsidence evaluation using NSBAS InSAR: a case study of twin megacities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) in Pakistan

Time series subsidence evaluation using NSBAS InSAR: a case study of twin megacities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) in Pakistan

Impacts of urbanization, LULC, LST, and NDVI changes on the static water table with possible solutions and water policy discussions: A case from Islamabad, Pakistan

GIS-based assessment of selective heavy metals and stable carbon isotopes in groundwater of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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