Evaluating the groundwater recharge requirement and restoration in the Kanari river, India, using SWAT model

It is critical era of climate change and water resource concerns to comprehend the dynamics of water availability and sustainable management. In this context, the amount of recharge required to completely restore the water was calculated using SWAT model. The majority of river basin management programmes have been concentrated on enhancing groundwater resources, an increasing water allocation, and an evaluating water quality in India. There has not been a coordinated hydrologic effort for river rehabilitation. This main objective of this research was to calculate, surface runoff and recharge needs for Kanari river’s revival based on the SWAT model approach. The groundwater recharge rate and runoff were calculated using SWAT model with references of weather data. In the SWAT model, hydrologic response unit (HRU) estimated based on the slope, land use and land cover, and soil maps etc. SWAT model splits the region into sub-basins wise and HRUs were estimated. Although the river basin region crated 18-HRUs based on the SWAT model, this model produced the Kanari river sub-water basin’s balance components. Out of the total amount of precipitation, surface runoff accounted for 46.2%, percolation for 26.9%, evapotranspiration for 26.9%, and deep recharge and lateral flow for 1.33%. So, 46.2% of precipitation is accounted for surface runoff. The calculated Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient of effectiveness or efficiency (NS) for the calibration period was 0.83., while the calibration period’s runoff’s coefficient of determination (R2) was determined to be 0.92256. The runoff coefficient of determination (R2) value was 0.82, while the Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient of effectiveness or efficiency (NS) for the validation period was found to be 0.71. SWAT model’s annual recharge varied from 75.27 to 379.02 mm depending on the functions selected. The results of study area can be useful for development of groundwater resources, soil and water conservation planning in the hot region area under the climate change.