Enhancing Climate-Resilient Groundwater Supply and Food Security Using Aquifer Storage and Recovery Technique (ECASRT)

Researche Funding: TWAS and Elsevier Foundation

Faculty Researcher: Prof. Sara Nowreen

Collaboration: Lead: IWFM, BUET; Associate: Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC)

Duration: February 2023 - January 2026

 

Among several promising strategies to arrest declining water tables, underground storing via aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) presents possibilities to defuse irrigation tensions in many parts of Bangladesh. It stores rainfall-runoff and provides water for farming to grow dual-season crops. However, there are concerns about the rates of clogging in ASR wells, which may limit the present value of ASR's net benefit due to decrease in water availability and poor water quality, thus negatively affecting public health, livelihoods, and delicate coastal ecosystems. The study aims to systematically assess the potential of multiple ASR wells in augmenting GW recharge while also improving water quality, allowing for sufficient subsequent irrigation abstraction during the dry season. The specific objectives are: (1) to enhance operational capabilities of ASR against chronic clogging; and (2) to reduce vulnerability of coastal aquifer via using multiple ASR wells in diluting saline concentrations to a tolerable limit for crop production. The proposed research intends to enhance the technical capabilities of the BADC (in collaboration) and the community, enabling them to take responsibility for implementing and maintaining ASRs, respectively.