Abstract

Mounting demand of groundwater in the North-West (NW) hydrological region of Bangladesh requires evaluation of the withdrawal pattern of groundwater to plan for its sustainable usage. This study estimated the quantity of groundwater withdrawn and its trend over the period from 1985 to 2016 by analyzing the annual fluctuation of groundwater levels at 350 monitoring wells and MAKESENS model, respectively. The correlation of the withdrawn groundwater with irrigated acreage was also investigated. Out of 16 districts in the NW region, 4 (Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Thakurgaon) show significantly (p0.05) and 6 (Rajshahi, Natore, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Panchagarh and Rangpur) insignificantly increasing trend, while 2 show (Bogura and Joypurhat) significantly and 4 (Naogaon, Chapai Nawabganj, Pabna and Sirajganj) insignificantly decreasing trend of groundwater withdrawal over the years. At the two divisional levels (each comprising 8 districts), groundwater withdrawal followed insignificant decreasing trend with a total decrease of 637.2 Mm3 (from 7339.04 Mm3 to 6701.84 Mm3; 8.68%) in Rajshahi but significantly increasing trend with a total increase of 794.6 Mm3 (from 4191.87 Mm3 to 4986.43 Mm3; 18.95%) in Rangpur division during the period of investigation. For the whole NW region, it followed insignificant increasing trend with a total increase of 148.2 Mm3 (from 11536.06 Mm3 to 11684.23 Mm3; 1.28%). There was no consistent correlation between the quantity of withdrawn groundwater and irrigation acreage. The currently practiced groundwater development and usage policy of the NW region needs updating with special emphasis for the areas with significantly increasing trend of groundwater withdrawal.

Key words: Irrigated agriculture, Water use, Groundwater extraction, Sustainability