Researche Funding: TWAS and Elsevier Foundation
Faculty Researcher: Prof. Sara Nowreen
Collaboration: Lead: Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), BUET, Affiliates: Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC)
Duration: February 2023 - January 2026
Among several promising strategies to arrest declining water tables, underground storing via aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) presents some intriguing possibilities to defuse irrigation tensions in many parts of Bangladesh. It stores rainfall-runoff and provides water for farming to grow dual-season crops. However, worries have been expressed about the rates of clogging in ASR wells. If this problem continues, the present value of ASR’s net benefit will be reduced due to decrease in water availability and poor water quality, which will negatively affect public health, livelihoods, and delicate coastal ecosystems. The study will attempt to systematically assess the potential of multiple ASR wells in augmenting GW recharge while also improving water quality, allowing for sufficient subsequent irrigation abstraction during the dry season. The specific objectives are as follows:
(1) Enhance operational capabilities of ASR against chronic clogging; and
(2) Reduce vulnerability of coastal aquifer via using multiple ASR wells in diluting saline concentrations to a tolerable limit for crop production.
The first objective will include column testing, core sample analysis, XRD analysis of sediment samples, and falling head tests. Mineralogy check (e.g., Particle size of fine matters of sediment and clay), Chemical tests (e.g., Nutrient, DOC, BDOC, Total Suspended Solid), and Biological Tests (e.g., Total Coliform) of injectant water will be conducted. The second objective calls for measurements of Electric Conductivity (EC) & Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR) values and XRD analysis of sediment samples. The proposed research intends to enhance the technical capabilities of the BADC (in collaboration) and the community, enabling them to take responsibility for implementing and maintaining ASRs, respectively.