Evaluation of groundwater status in Thekkumkara Grama Panchayat, Thrissur District, Kerala, India: A geospatial approach

A study has been carried out in Thekkumkara Grama Panchayat of the Thrissur District, Kerala, India, to understand the groundwater status of the area. All hydrogeological information like the principal hydro geological units and their distribution, recharge and discharge areas, sources of water in different regimes, water level fluctuations in a given area over time, water potential, etc, have been collected and analysed to evaluate the groundwater development prospects in the study area. Physiographically, Thekkumkara Grama Panchayat is situated in the highland region. Geologically, the study area is characterised by Charnokites and Migmatites of Precambrian age, covered by Laterites and Lateritic soil. 60 dug wells were observed in the study area and the depth of these wells range between 3.14 to 9.92 m below ground level. Through integrated GIS analysis, it is estimated that about 36% of the study area comes under the very high to high category in terms of groundwater potential. The net annual groundwater availability in Thekkumkara Grama Panchayat is estimated as 8.69 MCM and the total annual groundwater draft for domestic as well as irrigation purposes is estimated as 1.87 MCM. The draft is only 22% of the annual available groundwater in the Thekkumkara Grama Panchayath. The agricultural operations are mainly rain fed and there are no major water consuming industries. For future groundwater development, the area can be categorized as ‘Safe’ based on the present level of groundwater utilization.