IOSR Journal Of Environmental Science, Toxicology And Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) e-ISSN: 2319-2402,p- ISSN: 2319-2399. Volume 4, Issue 2 (May. - Jun. 2013), PP 65-72 www.Iosrjournals.Org www.iosrjournals.org 65 | Page Groundwater Dynamics in Pabna District, Bangladesh 1 M Saiful Islam, 2 Alam M K, 3 Rahman M A 1 Assistant Professor , Department of Physics , Govt . Edward College, Pabna, Bangladesh 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Pabna University of Science & Technology, Bangladesh 3 Lecturer, Department of Applied Physics & Electronic Engineering, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh Abstract: Groundwater is an important segment of the hydrologic cycle and constitutes about one third of world’s fresh water reserves. It has distinct advantages over surface water resources. It is the most dependable resource and is available almost everywhere on land phases. It is hard to overstate the importance of groundwater in the life and economy of Bangladesh. Groundwater supplies over 90% of drinking water requirements and the vast majority of irrigation water. It is the only source of water supply for drinking and main source of irrigation in the area studied. The increased demands due to over population and development activities have stimulated investigations oriented towards quantifications of this resource. The large scale abstraction of groundwater for irrigation, without proper planning and management, has caused much environmental degradation. So, a detailed study is now essential for the conservation of this important resource in the specific area. Proper utilization of groundwater greatly precedes the analysis of static water levels in various extents of this inexhaustible resource. The increasing demand placed on it has stimulated to identify of this resource, which would be the basic of its exploration, management and conservation. In this work, quantitative analysis of groundwater resources of Pabna district under Bangladesh has been made. To evaluate the groundwater condition in the study area, some maps and their relative surface patterns have been presented in various ways. Information about the depth of groundwater table is necessary to define groundwater flow directions and determination of suitable well-site locations. It is possible to identify the high permeable zone from the groundwater contour map of an area. Groundwater table contour maps provide useful information to locate new water-wells as the best possible sources of groundwater supply. Groundwater head positions determine the potentiality of any place of the investigated area. The water head position map represents groundwater flow direction. Keywords: Contour map, Groundwater, irrigation. I. Introduction Groundwater is an important natural source of water supply throughout the world. It is a precious and most distributed resource. The use of groundwater is increasing day by day in irrigation, domestic water supply, municipalities, and rural areas and in industries. The source of groundwater is either precipitation or seepage from large water bodies like reservoirs, lakes, sea or ocean. Recent studies in groundwater development for irrigation have proven the suitability of the alluvial aquifers in Bangladesh among the most productive in the world. The aquifer is annually recharged through rainfall and flooding and replenishment every year except underneath Dhaka city where an imbalance between recharge and abstraction has been established. But in many localities, rates of withdrawal have exceeded those of natural replenishment and various difficulties have risen in the study area. To achieve intensive irrigation for year round cropping and constant supply of groundwater in various purposes, investment should be applied for sustainable water supply and ecological balance in this area. II. General Features of The Study Area The study area, Pabna district, is located in the south-eastern corner of greater Rajshahi division (Fig.1).The area comprises nine upazillas covering 2371.50 Sq.Km. The two major rivers, the Padma and the Jamuna flowing along the boundaries of the study area are sustaining the environmental balance and socio- economic development. The entire study area is almost a plain land of an average elevation of 14m whereas the northwestern part is slightly more elevated with maximum elevation of 22m.The investigated area is located in the shelf region zone of Bangladesh and was formed by the deposition of sediments carried by the river Padma and its tributaries in the Pleistocene age. The alluvium is composed of clay and sand of different grains. The overall soil quality is very much suitable for groundwater potential. The topmost formation, composed of clay and silt, is underlain by fine, medium and coarse sand. The aquifer system in the investigated area may be schematized into an aquifer of variable thickness.