Environ Geol (2005) 48: 158170 DOI 10.

1007/s00254-005-1284-4

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

S. Anbazhagan S. M. Ramasamy S. Das Gupta

Remote sensing and GIS for articial recharge study, runoff estimation and planning in Ayyar basin, Tamil Nadu, India

Received: 23 September 2004 Accepted: 7 March 2005 Published online: 11 June 2005 Springer-Verlag 2005

S. Anbazhagan (&) S. Das Gupta Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India E-mail: anban@iitb.ac.in Tel.: +91-022-25767255 Fax: +91-022-25723480 S. M. Ramasamy Center for Remote Sensing, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620023, India

Abstract This paper focuses on articial groundwater recharge study in Ayyar basin, Tamil Nadu, India. The basin is covered by hard crystalline rock and overall has poor groundwater conditions. Hence, an articial recharge study was carried out in this region through a project sponsored by Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology. The Indian Remote Sensing satellite 1A Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor II (IRS 1A LISS II) satellite imagery, aerial photographs and geophysical resistivity data were used to prioritize suitable sites for articial recharge and to estimate the volume of aquifer dimension available to recharge. The runo water available for articial recharge in the basin is estimated through Soil

Conservation Service curve number method. The land use/land cover, hydrological soil group and storm rainfall data in dierent watershed areas were used to calculate the runo in the watersheds. The weighted curve number for each watershed is obtained through spatial intersection of land use/land cover and hydrological soil group through GeoMedia 3.0 Professional GIS software. Articial recharge planning was derived on the basis of availability of runo, aquifer dimension, priority areas and water table conditions in dierent watersheds in the basin. Keywords Articial recharge Remote sensing GIS Runo estimation Curve number India

Introduction
Replenishing the groundwater aquifers through articial recharge was carried out in various parts of the world for the last six decades (Babcock and Cushing 1942; Barksdale and Debuchanne 1946; Beeby-Thompson 1950; Buchen 1955; Todd 1959). However, the importance of articial recharge was realized in India only about four decades ago (Karanth 1963). In the recent years, many studies concentrated on application of remote sensing and GIS for articial recharge (Sharma 1992; Anbazhagan 1994, unpublished PhD thesis; Ramasamy and Anbazhagan 1997, Anbazhagan and Ramasamy 2001). The study area Ayyar basin is a sub-basin of the major Cauvery river basin in Tiruchirappalli district,

Tamil Nadu state, India (Fig. 1). The aerial extent of the basin is 1,167 km2 and it incorporates two administrative taluks called Musiri and Thuraiyur. Approximately one-fth of the area is covered by hilly terrain (Kolli and Pachamalai hills). Geologically, the basin is predominantly covered by gneissic and charnockitic rock types. The majority of the irrigated land in the basin is being cultivated with the help of groundwater augmented from dug wells and bore wells to the maximum possible extent. In this circumstance, aquifer replenishment through articial recharge is necessary for this region. The Central and State governments are spending a considerable amount of money for construction of articial recharge structures like percolation ponds and check dams. However, detailed scientic analysis needs

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Fig. 1 Location map of Ayyar basin

to be done before, construction of such structures. Hence, a comprehensive research work was carried out in this region with the help of the Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCS&T). The research work comprises four phases: selection of suitable sites, identication of site-specic mechanisms, surface runo estimation and prioritization of articial recharge practices based on dierent criteria. The suitable sites for articial recharge were identied by analysis of geological, geomorphological, subsurface geological and water-level uctuation data through thematic as well as statistical modeling (Ramasamy and Anbazhagan 1997; Anbazhagan and Ramasamy 2001, 2005). In the second phase, various methods of articial recharge were identied based on dierent controlling terrain parameters. Desiltation of existing tanks, ooding and dendritic furrowing, percolation ponds, enechelon dams, injection wells and subsurface dams were recommended in the priority areas (Ramasamy and Anbazhagan 1996). Before implementing any articial recharge schemes, it is necessary to estimate the available precipitation and runo in the basin. The analysis of 16 years, rainfall data in the basin has shown an

average of 500-mm rainfall in the southern part and more than 790-mm rainfall in the central and northern parts of the basin. In the third phase, the volume of surface runo available in the basin for articial recharge was estimated through an SCS curve method (Anon 1973). In the nal stage, articial recharge planning was done on the basis of availability of runo, aquifer dimension and water table conditions in dierent watersheds in the basin.

Methodology
The current study has been focused on articial recharge site selection process and runo estimation through remote sensing and GIS techniques. The digitally processed IRS 1A LISS II (Indian Remote Sensing satellite 1A Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor II) satellite data and aerial photographs were used for the generation of various thematic maps on geology and geomorphological parameters. The thematic maps include pervious and impervious lithology, rock-soil contact,

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lineament, lineament density, structure, uvial and denudational geomorphology. In addition, the Survey of India (SOI) topographic maps, geophysical resistivity and eld investigation data were used for generation of geological, geomorphological, subsurface geological and hydrological database. Followed by thematic map generation, thematic map integration was performed through manual as well as statistical analysis, from which the watershed wise volume of the aquifer dimension was estimated. Satellite data were mainly used to generate land use and land cover information. Such land use and land cover detail, hydrological soil group and storm rainfall data were used for calculating the runo through the SCS method. After estimating the volume of runo available in each watershed, the articial recharge planning was carried out. The methodology adopted in the study is demonstrated in Fig. 2. Articial recharge site selection Most of the articial recharge studies focused on selection of suitable sites for aquifer replenishment (Johnson and Sneigocki 1967; Warner and Moreland 1972; Vecchioli et al. 1974; Cochran 1981; Murakami 1982; Cook and Walker 1990, Sharma 1992; Ramasamy and Anbazhagan 1997; Anbazhagan and Ramasamy 2001). In the recent years, the role of remote sensing and GIS has received much attention in articial recharge studies. The geological, geomorphological, subsurface geological and hydrogeological data were analyzed in the process of suitable site selection for articial recharge. Database The database generated for identifying the suitable sites for articial recharge can be grouped into geological, geomorphological, subsurface geological and hydroFig. 2 Methodology

geological parameters. Under geology, thematic maps on rocksoil contact, folded structures, lineaments and soil types were generated. In aerial photographs, the barren and vegetative rock exposures normally show light tone and medium to coarse texture, high peaked hills and features with relief, whereas the soil-covered zones exhibit medium to darker tone, ne texture and moderate drainage patterns. The structural trend lines like fold axis, orientation of the hills, soil tonal variations, the bedding planes or the foliations exhibiting linear and curvilinear lines were interpreted from both satellite imagery and aerial photographs. The broad third-dimensional congurations of the structural trends were determined on the basis of shadow and breaks in slope observed in the aerial photographs. In addition, the strike and dip measured during eld visits were used for structural trend line and fold mapping. The nal fold map has a series of anticlines and synclines with a general trend of NESW to EW direction in the basin. In hard rock terrain, lineaments act as better conduits for groundwater movement and accumulation. The major lineaments were interpreted from IRS 1A False Colour Composite (FCC) and also from the ltered image. The FCC of Ayyar basin is shown in Fig. 3. Linearity in soil tonal contrast, straight drainage courses and vegetation linearities are the key elements used in interpreting the lineaments from the FCC image. The minor lineaments were interpreted from black and white panchromatic aerial photographs. The lineaments interpreted from satellite imagery and also from aerial photographs were integrated together and the nal lineament map was prepared. From lineament, the lineament density map was prepared. Soil type is one of the important parameters, which directly controls the inltration condition in an area. A soil map was prepared with the help of data collected from the Soil Survey and Land use organization.

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Fig. 3 False Color Composite of Ayyar basin

In geomorphology, slope, drainage density and denudational geomorphology were studied in detail. The slope of a terrain reveals the runo and inltration condition in a basin. The area of a lesser slope favors high inltration and is suitable for aquifer replenishment. In Ayyar basin, the slope varies from less than 2% to more than 20%. The drainage pattern is the best indicator of the porosity and permeability of a terrain. If the drainage density is less in an area, then it can be inferred that the rock type may be porous and possess high inltration. However, the high drainage density indicates the zone of impervious lithology. The SOI topographic maps were used for the generation of drainage density maps. The pediments and pediplains are the denudational landforms suitable for articial recharge as the rocks are comparatively weathered in condition. The pediments, which are deeply weathered, are called weathered pediments. Such weathered pediments were selected from satellite imagery and obviously suited for articial recharge. The uvial geomorphic landforms are better rechargeable areas owing to their highly enriched unconsolidated sediments. The uvial geomorphic

landforms were interpreted from digitally processed IRS 1A satellite data. Mostly three types of uvial landforms identied in the study area are piedmont zone, colluvial lls and oodplains. All these landforms are expected to have high amounts of unconsolidated sediments, and hence, must have a higher rate of inltration and favorable areas for articial recharge (Fig. 4). The subsurface geology is equally important in the selection of suitable sites for articial recharge. Hence, the subsurface geology like the thickness of soil, thickness of weathered zone, thickness of fractured zone and depth to bedrock were measured through detailed well inventory and geophysical resistivity survey. The water level and water-level uctuations are equally important in articial recharge and considered site selection procedure. Data integration and prioritization Data integration and prioritization were performed through manual thematic map integration (Ramasamy and Anbazhagan 1997) and statistical analysis (Anbazhagan and Ramasamy 2005). In this process, every

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Fig. 4 Fluvial geomorphology

thematic map represented certain zones as favorable for articial recharge. In thematic map integration, the geological, geomorphological, subsurface geological and hydrogeological data were analyzed separately and integrated. For example, soil-covered areas from rocksoil contact, synclinal structures from fold map, high lineament density zones and pervious soil types were integrated together and wherever all parameters coincided, they were demarcated as suitable areas for articial recharge, as far as the geological component is concerned. Similarly, suitable areas were identied from geomorphology, and subsurface geological components. Finally, the suitable areas identied from geology, geomorphology, subsurface geology and water-level data were superposed one over the other. In such thematic integration, suitable areas identied from water-level components were considered as the mandatory parameter as deeper water-level zones are prerequisite condition for articial recharge. Depending upon the number of controlling terrain parameters, the suitable areas were demarcated as priority area one, two and least priority areas.

Followed by thematic map integration, more rened statistical terrain analysis was carried out (Anbazhagan and Ramasamy 2005). For this statistical analysis, a numerical database was created for 63 sampling points on water level, lineament density, slope, drainage density, soil types, thickness of soil, thickness of weathered zone, thickness of fractured zone and depth to bedrock. Through this process, based on number of loading factors, areas were prioritized for articial recharge of groundwater in the basin (Fig. 5).

Estimation of aquifer dimension

Ayyar basin was divided into ve watersheds; Uppiliyapuram, Puliyansolai, Thuraiyur, Tattaiyangarpettai and Tirumanur (Fig. 5). To eectively practice the articial recharge in the basin, it is necessary to estimate the aquifer dimension available for recharge. Estimated aquifer dimension in each watershed will further facilitate to prioritize the watershed for articial recharge

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Fig. 5 Watershed-wise priority areas for articial recharge

implementation. The aquifer dimension is estimated with the help of data collected during eld visit and geophysical resistivity survey. To begin, the unsaturated zone available for articial recharge was estimated. The average depth of water level in a watershed is considered as the average thickness of the unsaturated zone. For example, the average thickness of the unsaturated zone in the Tattaiyangarpettai watershed is 13.43 m. The lowest value falls in Puliyansolai watershed, i.e. 7.65 m. If average thickness of the unsaturated zone is 13.43 m, the maximum of 11.43-m water storage is possible. If we recharge more than 11.43 m, the water level arises within 2-m zones from the ground level, which aects the root-zone growth of cultivation and creates problems. Hence, the unsaturated thickness is reduced by 2 m by allotting the 2-m zone as the root-growth zone. Next, the aerial extent of priority area one and priority area two in dierent watersheds was calculated. The volume of the unsaturated zone available for articial recharge in each priority zone was calculated by multiplying the aerial extent and thickness of the unsaturated zone in each watershed (Table 1). The nal output has shown that the available volume of aquifer dimension in million cubic meter (only unsaturated zone) in each watershed for articial recharge.

Runoff estimation
An articial recharge project does not stop with the detection of suitable sites, but yet another important factor is the estimation of available water (as runo) for such articial recharge work. Hence, in the next phase of study, an analysis was performed to estimate the runo available in each watershed in Ayyar basin. Followed by runo estimation, watershed areas were prioritized for articial recharge based on available volume of water and aquifer dimension in each watershed. The following database: aerial coverage of dierent land use and land cover, hydrological soil group and rainfall are required for estimating runo in the watershed areas. Database Land use/land cover The land use/land cover is an important characteristic of the runo process that eects the inltration, erosion and evapotranspiration. The inltration, evapotranspiration and runo vary from one land cover to another.

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Table 1 Available aquifer dimension for articial recharge in dierent watersheds

Watersheds

Average Thickness of unsaturated zone (m)

Area of unsaturated zone in priority Area 1 (km2) Area 2 (km2) 11.47 70.81 50.88 79.94 132

Volume of unsaturated zone in priority Area 1 (million m3) 70.06 120.82 1428.64 33.32 Area 2 (million m3) 64.81 554.44 402.97 913.71 1481.70

Puliyansolai Uppiliyapuram Thuraiyur Tattaiyangarpettai Tirumanur

5.65 7.83 7.92 11.43 9.23

12.4 15.43 124.99 3.61

For example, the area covered by forest comprises increased inltration and reduced runo components. The loose soil structure, good aeration and high organic content in the soil enhances the function of inltration in a forested catchment. The runo yield is increased gradually from forest cover, grassland, farmland, barren land and urban built-up land (Yannian 1990). In the present study, the remote sensing method was adopted for interpreting various land use/land cover in the basin. Several studies have been conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of interpreting the land-use categories from remotely sensed data and further used as input data in a hydrologic modeling for estimating the runo (Ragan and Jackson 1980; Slack and Welch 1980; Kathryn et al. 1986; Jackson et al. 1996). In the present study, the various land-use and land-cover units were interpreted from IRS 1A LISS II FCC satellite imagery. In the FCC imagery, the forest cover shows thick red color with high relief. On the other hand, the forest plantation in the at terrain exhibits a brownish red color with a dened boundary. The wet crop area identied all along the oodplain and drainage courses with thick red tonal contrast. Scrublands are manifested with yellow to reddish green colors which are typically associated with uplands and rocky outcrop areas. Dry crops are relatively associated with pediment zone, in yellow tonal contrast. Barren rocky outcrops were interpreted with the help of sharp boundaries, smooth or coarse texture, associated with poor vegetation and structural orientation. Fallow lands are pale to dark green in color in the FCC image. In total, eight land-use and land-cover units were interpreted from the satellite imagery and later grouped into four categories as dry crop, wet crop, natural vegetation and barren/built-up land. The landuse/land-cover categories interpreted from satellite data were scanned and imported to Geomedia 3.0 Professional GIS software (Fig. 6). The area under dierent land-use and land-cover categories in each watershed were calculated (shown in Table 2). Hydrological soil group The initial inltration and transmission of surface water into an aquifer system is a function of soil type and its

texture. The knowledge of soil cover and subsoil conditions is essential for prediction of runo or recharge condition in a basin. Based on inltration rate, texture, depth, drainage condition and water transmission capacity, soils have been classied into dierent hydrological soil groups: A, B, C and D. The criteria adopted for such classication is illustrated in Table 3 (Chow et al 1988; Viessman et al. 1989). In Ayyar basin, for generation of the database on the hydrological soil group, soil data were collected from the Soil survey and Land Use Organization. There are 11 soil series in Ayyar basin and each series has been grouped into a particular hydrological soil group. The area under a dierent hydrological soil group in each watershed was estimated and is shown in Table 4. Overall, the hydrological soil group B occupies the major portion of the basin (Fig. 7). Thus, this indicates that the Ayyar basin has moderate runo potential. Rainfall The daily rainfall data for 4 years from 1998 to 2001 were collected from the Groundwater Department for three rain gauge stations, namely Tattaiyangarpettai, Thuraiyur and Musiri. For calculating the area of inuence of a particular rain gauge station in a watershed, Thessien polygons were drawn. The initial abstractions (Ia) were calculated for each watershed (explained under the Soil Conservation Services (SCS) curve method). If a storm event is less than the initial abstraction value, there is no runo available for that rainfall event. Hence, for a period of 4 years, the storm events, which are higher than the initial abstractions in each watershed, were considered for further runo estimation. SCS curve number for runo estimation In earlier decades, the runo was estimated as a percentage of storm rainfall, where the percentage of runo increases with the increase in rainfall (Linsley et al. 1958). The SCS has developed a widely used runo curve number procedure for estimating the

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Fig. 6 Land-use/land-cover map of Ayyar basininterpreted from IRS 1A satellite data

Table 2 Area of dierent land use and land cover in watersheds

Watersheds

Land-use and Land-cover type Barren and built-up area (km2) Dry crop (km2) 24.19 94.08 126.52 77.89 162.6 Natural vegetation (km2) 162.92 95.92 85.82 49.61 34.85 Wet crop (km2) 27.62 44.791 86.15 79.11 128.44

Puliyansolai Uppiliyapuram Thuraiyur Tattaiyangarpettai Tirumanur

9.64 24.55 20.2

runo, in which the eect of land use and land cover, various soil cover and antecedent moisture condition were considered. If more than one land use or soil cover occurs in a basin, the composite curve number method was adopted (Anon 1973; SCS). The basic assumption of the SCS curve number is that, for a single storm event, potential maximum soil retention is equal to the ratio of direct runo to available rainfall. This relationship, after algebraic manipulation and inclusion of simplifying assumptions, results in the following equations (USDA-SCS 1985), where, curve number represents a convenient representation of potential maximum soil retention (Ponce and Hawkins 1996).

P 0:2S 2 ; P 0:8S

where, Q direct ow volume expressed as a depth, P total rainfall, S potential maximum soil retention, CN curve number value used to estimate potential maximum soil retention (S) S 25; 400 254 water depth expressed in mm: CN 2

The CN values were tabulated according to the National Engineering Handbook for various land covers and soil textures. These values were developed from

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Table 3 Criteria for classication of hydrological soil group Character Inltration rate Texture Depth Hydrological soil group A High Sand / Gravel Deep B Moderate Moderately coarse to moderately ne Moderately deep to deep Moderately well drained to well drained Moderate Moderate runo potential C Slow Moderately ne to ne Moderately deep D Very slow Clay Shallow over an impervious layer or clay pan or high water table Very slow Very slow High runo potential

Drainage Water transmission Remarks

Well to excess High Low runo potential

Moderately drained to slow Slow Moderate runo potential

annual ood rainfallruno data from the literature for a variety of watersheds generally less than one square km in area (USDA-SCS 1985). For runo estimation in a basin, the results: curve number (CN), potential maximum soil retention (S), initial abstraction (Ia) and antecedent moisture condition are required. Spatial intersection and derivation of curve number The advantage of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is spatial analysis through intersection and manipulation. Therefore, to obtain a weighted CN for each watershed, it is necessary to intersect the land use/ land cover and hydrological soil group in each watershed. The areas under dierent land use/land cover and hydrological soil group are already shown in the Tables 2 and 4, respectively. For spatial intersection, the Geomedia Professional (3.0) GIS software developed by Intergraph is used. The spatial intersections were carried out for ve watersheds, in the basin. The combined output with dierent land use/land cover, hydrological soil group and corresponding curve numbers (CN) for Puliyansolai watershed is shown in Table 5. Once the curve numbers were identied for dierent land units, the weighted curve numbers were calculated for each watershed area in the following manner.
Table 4 Area of dierent hydrological soil groups in watersheds Watersheds Hydrological soil group A (km2) Puliyansolai Uppiliyapuram Thuraiyur Tattaiyangarpettai Tirumanur 45.911 26.55 69.59 65.68 B (km2) 177.06 124.3 168.84 56.22 49.95 C (km2) 15.26 8.52 1.48 9.55 82.51 D (km2) 22.41 56.06 111.26 95.8 147.95

Weighted curve number P CN1 a1 CN2 a2 ::: CNn an P ; a

where, CN1 curve number for particular land unit 1, a1 area for that particular land unit 1, Ra sum of total area The weighted curve number for dierent watersheds in the basin is given in Table 6. After calculating the weighted curve number, the potential maximum soil retention (S) was calculated for each watershed by using the following formula: S 25; 400 254: CN

The potential maximum soil retention for dierent watershed units is given in Table 6. Followed by potential maximum soil retention estimation, the initial abstractions (Ia) are calculated. Initial abstractions are water losses, e.g. plant interceptions, inltration and surface storage which occur prior to runo and are then subtracted from the total runo (USDA-SCS 1985). The standard assumption is that Ia 0:2S If rainfall is greater than .2 S, then there is a possibility of runo. Otherwise, if rainfall is less than 0.2S, runo will be zero. Hence, the rainfall events, which are more than 0.2S, were considered for further runo estimation. The initial abstractions for dierent watersheds are given in Table 6.

Estimation of antecedent moisture condition The curve number varies for dierent antecedent eld conditions. To estimate the antecedent moisture condi-

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Fig. 7 Hydrological soil groups in dierent watersheds

tion for each storm event, ve previous days daily rainfall data values were added. Based on total rainfall value and the USDA-SCS method, the antecedent moisture conditions were calculated (Table 7). With the help of these antecedent moisture conditions, the weighted curve numbers were adjusted. If the antecedent moisture condition is I (dry), the curve number is adjusted down by using the following formula
Table 5 Spatial intersection and derivation of curve number for Puliyansolai watershed Land-use/land-cover type Soil type Area (km2) Curve number Dry crop Dry crop Dry crop Dry crop Natural vegetation Wet crop Wet crop Wet crop Wet crop Wet crop Wet crop Wet crop B C D B B B B C C B D B 6.25 10 6.25 4.47 148.89 1.02 15 3.53 1.73 1.71 15 0.88 81 88 91 81 55 71 71 78 78 71 81 71

Table 6 Watersheds and their weighted CN, retention parameter and initial abstraction Watersheds Weighted Retention Initial curve number parameterS abstractionIa (mm) (mm) 63 70 74 73 79 151 111 89 92 67 30 22 18 18 13

Puliyansolai Uppiliyapuram Thuraiyur Tattaiyangarpettai Tirumanur

CN 0:39 CN exp0:009 CN

and if the antecedent moisture condition is III (wet), the curve number is adjusted up by using the following equation. CN 1:95 CN exp0:00663 CN 5

Suppose the antecedent moisture condition is II (damn), the same weighted curve number is used for runo estimation.

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Table 7 Antecedent moisture condition classication Antecedent moisture condition I (dry) II (normal) III (wet) Source : USDS-SCS, 1985 Rainfall range (mm) <36 3653 >53

Recharge planning
From runo estimation, it was inferred that about 110.17 million m3 runo per annum is available for articial recharge in Ayyar basin. The available aquifer dimension for articial recharge in the priority area is 4718.29 million m3 . Hence, enough volume of unsaturated aquifer zone is available in each watershed area. Among the ve watersheds, the Tirumanur watershed has the highest average runo per annum. The available aquifer dimension is comparatively higher than the available runo in each watershed. Therefore, the runo water can be utilized in the respective watershed. Articial recharge planning can be suggested in the following ways: on the basis of availability of volume of runo or on the basis of priority areas/aquifer dimensions in the watersheds. On the basis of runo availability, the articial recharge implementation can be prioritized in the following sequences: 1. Tirumanur 2. Thuraiyur 3. Tattaiyangarpettai 4. Uppliyapuram 5. Puliyansolai (Table 9). If the aquifer dimension is followed, the sequence is as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Tattaiyangarpettai priority area 1 Uppliyapuram priority area 1 Puliyansolai priority area 1 Tirumanur priority area 1 Tirumanur priority area 2 Tattaiyangarpettai priority area 2 Uppliyapuram priority area 2 Puliyansolai priority area 2 Thuraiyur priority area 2

Runo estimation for dierent watersheds After calculating the curve number (CN), potential maximum soil retention (S), initial abstraction (Ia) and antecedent moisture condition, runo was calculated for each watershed in the basin (Table 8). For example, the volume of runo for Uppliyapuram watershed is calculated as follows: the number of storm events 55 and 46, respectively, for Thuraiyur and Tattaiyangarpettai rain gauge stations considered for a 4-year period. From such storm events, the rainfall in millimeter was calculated for each station and the weighted curve numbers were adjusted according to the antecedent moisture conditions available in the watershed. Then, using Eq. 1, the direct ow volume was calculated for each storm event and those were added up for both the rain gauge stations separately. Through Theissen polygon, the area of inuence of each rainfall station had already been calculated. The total runo volume in a watershed was calculated by multiplying the aerial coverage of respective rain gauge stations and direct ow volumes. The total volume of runo available in Uppliyapuram watershed was calculated as follows. Direct ow volume for Thuraiyur station = 326.16 mmDirect ow volume for Tattaiyangarpettai station = 199.31 mmArea of inuence of Thuraiyur rain gauge station = 98.92 km2Area of inuence of Tattaiyangarpettai rain gauge station = 117.47 km2 Volume of runoff in Uppliyapuram 326:16 103 98:92 106 199:31 103 117:47 106 m3 55; 624; 450 m3 55:6 million m3

The watershed area can be prioritized on the basis of percentage of volume of runo water when compared to total volume of available aquifer dimension: 1. Thuraiyur, 2. Puliyansolai, 3. Tirumanur, 4. Uppliyapuram, 5. Tattaiyangarpettai (Table 9). Articial recharge requirement is rst needed for the watershed where there is high water table depletion. Hence, articial recharge practices can be prioritized on the basis of water table conditions in the watershed area. Accordingly, the watersheds can be prioritized as follows: 1. Tattaiyangarpettai, 2. Tiru-

Table 8 Rainfall and estimated runo in dierent watershed, Ayyar basin Watersheds 1998 1999 2000 2001 Average Average rainfall runo (mm) (million m3)

Rainfall Runo Rainfall Runo Rainfall Runo Rainfall Runo (mm) volume (mm) volume (mm) volume (mm) volume (million m3) (million m3) (million m3) (million m3) Puliyansolai Uppiliyapuram Thuraiyur Tattaiyangarpettai Tirumanur 388 667.2 906.01 528.23 377.27 10.02 27.49 75.98 20.1 52.7 171 342.66 521.92 330.98 556.23 1.24 5.52 14.79 9.63 49.14 478 556.28 599.73 594.7 525.36 10.8 11.47 15.52 22.59 19.06 362.4 451.74 550.28 554.86 607.84 7.59 11.19 23.08 12.58 40.22

349.85 504.47 644.48 502.19 516.68

7.41 13.92 32.34 16.22 40.28

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Table 9 Articial recharge planning in dierent watersheds, Ayyar basin Watersheds Priority areas 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 1 Aquifer dimension (million m3) 70.05 64.78 120.82 554.33 50.88 1428.72 913.76 33.26 Total volume of aquifer dimension (million m3) 134.83 675.15 50.88 2342.48 1514.95 Average runo (million m3) 7.41 13.92 32.34 16.22 40.28 Percentage runo with reference to aquifer dimension 5.5 2.06 63.56 0.69 2.66 Priority based on available runo 5 4 2 3 1

Puliyansolai Uppiliyapuram Thuraiyur Tattaiyangarpettai Tirumanur

manur, 3. Thuraiyur, 4. Uppliyapuram and 5. Puliyansolai. When compared to other planning, prioritization based on water-level conditions is an appropriate method. Depending upon fund availability, implementation can be started with priory areas one in the watersheds.

Conclusions
The remote sensing based integrated terrain analysis is useful for identifying and prioritizing the suitable sites for articial recharge. Further, the land-use and landcover information interpreted from satellite data is used as one of the main input parameters for estimating runo through the SCS curve method. The GIS technique is useful in spatial intersection of different land use and land cover with various hydrological soil groups in the watershed areas. The results of spatial intersection were used for calculating the

weighted curve number (CN) in each watershed. It is essential to calculate the runo potential prior to implementing an articial recharge project in a water table depleted area. In addition to estimation of volume of runo, the available aquifer dimensions were also estimated for all watersheds in the basin. In this study, watershed areas were prioritized on the basis of available runo, available aquifer dimension, percentage of runo with total area and watershed conditions. Prioritization of watershed on the basis of water table conditions is a realistic approach for articial recharge implementation. In future, prioritization of watersheds including socio-economic factors will give a more rened procedure for articial recharge implementation.
Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology for sponsoring the research project. The authors also acknowledge the Soil Survey and Land Use Organization and the Groundwater Department for providing soil and rainfall data, respectively.

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