Stories
Powerful Cyclones Threaten Deep Groundwater Quality in Coastal Areas: IIT-KGP Study
- •A recent IIT Kharagpur study reveals that powerful cyclones can impact groundwater quality up to 100 metres below the surface in deep coastal aquifers, threatening drinking water security.
- •Researchers analyzed 11 extreme climatic events between May 2017 and May 2020 in the Sundarbans region, including four tropical cyclones like Amphan and Fani.
- •The study found that extreme weather events rapidly alter groundwater levels and hydraulic gradients, disrupting the balance between freshwater and seawater.
- •Shallow aquifers experienced larger immediate fluctuations, whereas changes in deeper aquifers persisted for longer periods.
- •Experts recommend continuous multi-depth groundwater monitoring, regulated extraction, and integrating cyclone forecasts into water management plans.
Key Questions Answered
Powerful cyclones and atmospheric depressions can rapidly alter groundwater levels and hydraulic gradients at different depths, disturbing the balance between freshwater and seawater and facilitating their mixing even more than 100 metres below the surface.
Researchers studied 11 extreme climatic events between May 2017 and May 2020, including seven atmospheric depressions and four tropical cyclones named Titli, Fani, Bulbul, and Amphan, in the Sundarbans region of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta.
The researchers recommended continuous groundwater monitoring at multiple depths, integrating extreme-weather forecasts into water management plans, protecting deeper aquifers, regulating extraction, and strategically locating wells away from seawater intrusion zones.
