Estimation and comparison of groundwater recharge by using water table fluctuation method and empirical formulae in vadachithur watershed of parambikulam-aliyar-palar (PAP) basin

Global environmental changes and demands for multiple use of increasing population make water management a difficult task, especially in developing countries like India. Groundwater recharge is an important process for sustainable groundwater management, since the volume-rate abstracted from an aquifer in the long term Processes. The present study was taken up in the Vadachitur watershed, Parambikulam-Aliyar-Palar (PAP) basin, Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu state. The study was conducted on the estimation of groundwater recharge. The annual groundwater recharge have been estimated by using water table fluctuation method and empirical methods. The related rainfall data were collected in rain gauge station for the year 1991 to 2012 and water level data was collected from 14 observation wells in Vadachithur watershed. Comparison of groundwater recharge was done between water table fluctuation method and empirical formulae. The results showed that the annual recharge remains same in water table fluctuationmethod and Kumar & Seethapathi formula.