Assessment of groundwater status and factors affecting groundwater resources (Study area: Bam Plain)

Dehghan, Hadi; Safavi, Maryam; Galdavi, Somayeh; Naderian, Mohammad

doi:10.22034/aes.2025.520344.1103

Assessment of groundwater status and factors affecting groundwater resources (Study area: Bam Plain)

Document Type : Original research article

Authors

Hadi Dehghan ¹

Maryam Safavi ²

Somayeh Galdavi ¹

Mohammad Naderian ³

¹ Water Science and Engineering Department, Kashmar Higher Education Institute, Kashmar, Iran

² Ph.D. Student of Water Resources, Birjand University, Birjand, Iran

³ Water Science and Engineering Department, University of Jiroft, Jiroft, Iran

10.22034/aes.2025.520344.1103

Abstract

Effective water resource management, particularly groundwater management, is essential in arid and semi-arid regions like Kerman Province, where recent natural and human-induced factors have led to critical groundwater depletion. Over the years, excessive groundwater extraction through well pumping has caused significant declines in water tables across many areas, including the Bam Plain of Kerman Province. To investigate this alarming trend, a study analyzed data from 56 observation wells over 15 years, from 2002 to 2017. The hydrograph of the Bam Plain was utilized to assess changes in groundwater levels, revealing a gradual decline until 2012, followed by a steeper drop from 2012 to 2017. Ultimately, the groundwater level in the Bam Plain decreased by approximately 10 meters over the 15 years. ArcGIS software was employed for further analysis using the Kriging method and inverse distance weighting (IDW), leading to maps that depicted groundwater flow directions, iso-depth, and iso-level for specific five-year intervals. The results indicated a decrease in both iso-depth (68-110 meters) and iso-level (940-1100 meters) over three successive five-year periods from 2008 to 2013. By the end of the third period (2013-2014), only a small central area of the plain maintained these depths and groundwater levels, highlighting a significant decline overall. The findings underscored that recent drought conditions, coupled with the unsustainable extraction of groundwater, have critically impacted groundwater levels. This decline poses serious implications for the rural economy, which predominantly relies on agriculture and is directly tied to water availability. Consequently, the welfare of farmers has been adversely affected. The study aims to inform better regional water management strategies to mitigate the ongoing crisis and ensure sustainable groundwater use moving forward.

Highlights

10-meter decline in groundwater level in Bam Plain over 15 years (2002-2017).
Hydrograph analysis showing steep drop from 2012 onwards.
Use of Kriging and IDW for iso-depth and iso-level maps.
Recommendation for sustainable management to preserve agricultural water resources.

Keywords

Bam Plain

Excessive extraction

Groundwater depletion

Unit hydrograph

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