Field investigation of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) technique to recharge groundwater: A case study in Punjab province of Pakistan

Fast decline of groundwater levels in Pakistan requires the use of artificial recharging techniques to minimize the adverse effect of over pumping. A study was conducted in the Toba Tek Singh district, Punjab, Pakistan, to investigate aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) technology to recharge groundwater. The facility was developed by drilling a pumping/injection well and constructing the water storage tank along with developing the recharge mechanism. Three treatments of 51, 71, and 99 m³ of treated canal water were injected into the aquifer under gravity and were retained for 7 days. Another three treatments of 100 m³ each were injected for retention times of 14, 28, and 56 days. The recovery efficiency (RE) was found to be 83, 91, and 98% for injected volumes of 51, 71, and 99 m³, respectively, for retention time of 7 days. Similarly, the RE for an injected volume of 100 m³ was found to be 73, 62, and 52% for retention times of 14, 28, and 56 days, respectively. These results indicated that RE improved with increase in injected volume and decreased with increase in retention time; however, the technology was found to have potential for storing and recovering of water injected into the aquifer.