Assessing drought and human Interface on reducing groundwater reserves

Proper management and planning to prevent the decline of groundwater levels, requires knowledge of the factors, indicators and criteria for changes in groundwater levels in areas affected by this phenomenon. Therefore, in order to be aware of the status of groundwater level fluctuations, it is necessary to conduct detailed studies in order to plan, operate and maintain water resources development plans and to predict and warn in time of drought periods. For this purpose, in the present study, the trend of groundwater changes in aquifers of Mahidasht study area in Kermanshah province in a statistical period of 35 years ending in 1396 was investigated. Then, the impact of droughts on the trend of groundwater level changes was analyzed using PDSI, GRI and SDI drought indices as well as changes in irrigated and rainfed arable lands. According to the results, the highest groundwater level is in the southeast and is about 1531m. Groundwater level changes in Mahidasht plain are generally declining and the groundwater level has dropped by 24.78m during the study period. Also, the results of low correlation between climatic and groundwater drought indices showed that the cause of water level decline in plain aquifers due to irregular impressions and management. Although Mahidasht aquifer has been selected as a case study in this article, the proposed method can be used in other areas to improve the protection and management of water resources.