Assessing the effect of land use changes on groundwater quality and quantity (Case study: west basin of Jazmoryan wetland)

In this study, the effect of land use changes on groundwater resources as well as monitoring of spatial and temporal changes of groundwater quantitative and qualitative parameters were assessed in west basin of Jazmoryan Wetland. Landsat satellite images of TM 2002 and OLI 2015 sensors by applying of Maximum Likelihood Method were used to investigate land use changes trend. Also, information related to wells in years of 2002 to 2015 was used to assess groundwater quantitative and qualitative parameters. To do this, zoning maps of spatial and temporal changes of groundwater quantitative and qualitative parameters were prepared using the best interpolation method in ArcGIS software. The results related to evaluation of the best interpolation method showed that Kriging method had the least error. According to the results of this study, the area of agricultural and urban land uses has been increased, while the area of ephemeral stream, dam, rangelands, bare and mountain land uses has been decreased in 1394 compared to 1381.These changes indicate the increased degradation as well as unstable conditions of the region that adversely affect groundwater resources. As a result of these changes, groundwater quality in southern parts of the study area has been declined. Among the factor causing this declined groundwater quality are construction of Jiroft dam on Halil-rood permanent river, lack of water right and expanded urban and agricultural lands which have caused decrease in groundwater quality over time.