Assessment of groundwater quality and climatic water balance studies in the Pageru River basin, Andhra Pradesh, India

An analysis of the climatic water balance and drought in the Pageru River basin, a chronically drought prone area in south India, has been prepared using rainfall data from eight raingauge stations located in and around the basin. The values of rainfall and temperature have been collected and the water balance parameters have been computed using the Thornthwaite and Mather method. In addition, 99 water samples were collected during both pre- and post-monsoon seasons and analysed for major ions to assess the water quality in relation to agriculture and domestic uses in the basin. The results indicate that the annual water deficit of the basin is 821 mm. The maximum water deficit is observed during the months of March and June and it is minimal in September. The analysis of the data revealed that the annual distribution is mainly controlled by the physiography of the region. A comparison of the water balance and cropping pattern used in the villages indicates that the basin area is only suitable for cultivation of drought resistant crops such as Sorghum bicolor, Eleusine coracana and Pennisetum typhoides. Assessment of water samples from various methods proved that most of the water is good for drinking as well as for agriculture in both seasons.