Dear Friend,

Jodhpur, a major city of Western Rajasthan in India, has been experiencing the
problem of rising groundwater levels in many parts of the city for last 11
years, after commissioning of the Rajiv Gandhi Link Canal (RGLC) which brings
canal water to Jodhpur city and stores water in Kailana lake located west of
Jodhpur city. Basements of buildings are being flooded in many parts of the
city. There can be one or more of the following probable reasons for rising
groundwater levels in Jodhpur city.

(1) Seepage from Kailana lake due to presence of lineaments/joints in Rhyolite
rock.

(2) Presence of impervious sandstone basement at shallow depth below the porous
Rhyolite aquifer in the city area.

(3) Seepage from pipelines carrying lake water.

(4) Leakage of used household water from unlined drain system.

(5) Reduced groundwater extraction from existing borewells and handpumps after
commissioning of RLGC.

For the above case, what would be the appropriate methodology to find the actual
reasons for rising groundwater levels in Jodhpur city and appropriate short-term
and long-term management plans for maintaining the groundwater levels at a safe
level.

Regards
Kumar