Alteration of groundwater recharge areas due to land use/cover change in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

A significant alteration of groundwater recharge areas is projected in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, due to rapid urbanization. Between 2020 and 2050, built-up areas are expected to increase by 21.4%, while agricultural land and forest areas will decrease by 20.5% and 0.9%, respectively. This shift is projected to reduce open land available for groundwater recharge by 6% per decade, potentially leading to a decline in groundwater levels and affecting urban water environments, including river base flows. The study utilized the CLUE-S model for future land use/cover (LULC) projections, GIS for spatial analysis, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for weighting recharge-influencing factors, and field tests for infiltration rate analysis to assess these changes.

Lamichhane, S., & Shakya, N. M. (2019). Alteration of groundwater recharge areas due to land use/cover change in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 26, 100635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2019.100635