Assessment of water availability on lean period in tropical plateau river basin, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Water is an essential element in human life. Since ancient times, human civilization was based on water in riverside areas. From a geographical point of view, the water requirement for normal human supply is much higher in a plateau region than in a plain region. Although rainwater harvesting cannot provide the natural supply to humans, the people of the plateau depend on artificial dams, often blocking the natural flow of rivers, to provide the necessary water supply. Not only for daily needs, but the importance of water is also immense to meet the raw material needs of various industries. But sometimes, when the demand of people and industry is more than the water capacity of the dam, it becomes unable to meet the required supply. Kangsabati river in West Midnapore district and Anicut dam built on it - are facing the above problems. Being part of the plateau region and due to the high demand of the mining industry, the water demand is usually high. The pressure on the anicut reservoir is very high. Based on the above problems and to determine a specific solution, the present research is based on the total water storage in Kangsabati river and adjacent anicut and its fair share among various stakeholders. After the normal flow of water from Mukutmonipur is stopped, the Kangsabati river is fed by water from various inlets and the Tarafeni river. All these waters are deposited in the anicut area in the river's lower reaches. For determining the resulting total water flow and storage, the HEC-RAS 1D/2D integrated model is used, where the flow along a specific river direction is shown in 1D and the flow storage in the anicut area is shown in 2D. The total water flow carried by the river through the inlets has been determined from the field survey. Simultaneously, the total water storage in the anicut area has been determined through the ADCP cross-sectional survey. Later the total water flow and storage volume of these two regions have validated through HEC-RAS. From the survey period, daily data are calculated by 1- a month volume of discharge per day and stored in 2D. After that, it is calculated as the total volume entering the 2D storage area from the river to Anicut. Rainfall greatly influences river discharge in this area, and the calculated graph shows this. To assess the current and future water availability of Kangsabati River and its adjacent creeks near Midnapore city and its impact on local stakeholders. Particular statistical techniques are evident from the indications ideally used for lean seasonal flow analysis in tropical plateau regions that can be found when reviewing the literature. This research is essential for the local stakeholder to ensure the particular water-sharing man oeuvre among human habitation and industrial agglomeration. The forecasting of the next ten years is also highlighted through the research, which ensures the water availability in lean periodic (April-May) condition throughout the year.