Soil moisture investigations of groundwater recharge through black cotton soils in Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

Soil physical studies were carried out in the black cotton soil areas of the Betwa basin, central India, to assess their role in partitioning monsoon rainfall into runoff and groundwater recharge. The regional and annual variations of soil moisture were studied first, followed by studies of the soil water flow mechanisms at representative sites. Measurements of soil water content were made by neutron probe and of soil water potential by porous pot tensiometer. Unsaturated conductivity characteristics were determined by the “instantaneous profile method”. Dry season recharge and evaporation were calculated by the zero-flux plane method. The studies suggested that significant recharge is possible only in the shallow soil areas, where structured clay/silts directly overlie the weathered basalt containing the surface aquifer.