**5. Groundwater resources**

#### **5.1 Groundwater resources aquifer-I**

Central Ground Water Board and Ground Water Survey and Development Agency (GSDA) have jointly estimated the groundwater resources of Nashik district based on GEC-2015 methodology [5]. The block-wise groundwater resources map is shown in **Figure 21**.

Groundwater resources estimation was carried out for 15,530 sq. km. area out of which 1650.24 sq. km. is under the command and 11838.32 sq. km. is under noncommand, the net annual groundwater availability is assessed as 1849.91 million cubic meters (MCM). The gross draft for all uses is estimated at 1081.66 MCM with the irrigation sector being the major consumer having a draft of 1045.72 MCM. The domestic and industrial water requirements are worked out at 35.94 MCM. The net groundwater availability for future irrigation is estimated at 840.45 MCM (**Table 3**). Out of 15 talukas, 3 talukas are semi-critical, 6 are critical and the remaining 9 talukas are safe *(In India, a taluka is the administrative unit below the district).*

#### **5.2 Groundwater resources – aquifer-II**

The groundwater resources of the deeper aquifer of the Nashik district were also assessed based on the GEC-2015 methodology. For assessing the resources of Aquifer-II the taluka-wise average thickness of fractured rocks and area occurring under that

**Figure 21.**

*Groundwater resources (2020), ashik district.*

thickness was deduced from **Figure 5**. The specific yield (Sy) and storativity (S) values were taken from CGWB pumping tests data, whereas piezometric water level data was generated from exploration data (**Table 4**). The GEC-2015 methodology suggests the estimation of resources available within the confining layer, as well as those available above the confining layer under hydrostatic pressure [5].


*Management of Hard Rock Basaltic Aquifer through Aquifer Mapping: A Case Study of Nashik… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.111644*

> **Table 3.**

*Groundwater resources, aquifer-I (shallow aquifer), Nashik district (2020).*


#### *Sedimentary Rocks and Aquifers – New Insights*

