Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
PhD student in Irrigation and Drainage, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.
2
Professor, Department of Water Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran.
Abstract
Groundwater is one of the most strategic sources of fresh water on Earth, playing a fundamental role in meeting the needs of drinking water, agriculture, industry, and the sustainability of ecosystems. The decline of these resources can severely affect environmental balance and water security. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the relationship between land use changes and groundwater level fluctuations in the Qorveh and Dehgolan plains over a 26-year period, covering two time intervals: 1997–2001 and 2019–2023. Using satellite imagery from Landsat-5 and Landsat-8 and employing the Random Forest machine learning algorithm, land use in the region was classified into four categories: rainfed agriculture, irrigated agriculture, built-up areas, and barren lands. These analyses quantitatively demonstrated the changes in land use types and extents. Subsequently, groundwater level zoning maps were generated using observational well data and the IDW interpolation method in ArcMap software. These maps enabled the comparison and analysis of groundwater level trends. The findings indicate that during the second period of analysis, rainfed agriculture decreased by 13.36%, while irrigated agriculture increased by 11.7%. Simultaneously, groundwater levels experienced a significant declining trend, with a drop of up to 99 meters reported in central, western, and southwestern parts of the plain. This decline coincided with and corresponded to the conversion of rainfed lands into irrigated lands. The results indicate that unstable changes in land use patterns, combined with excessive groundwater exploitation, have led to the formation of a vicious cycle—one that not only critically disrupts the region’s water resource balance but also poses a major threat to long-term environmental sustainability. Overall, this study underscores that unsustainable exploitation and unregulated land use changes result in declining groundwater levels and land instability. It highlights the urgent need for the adoption of sustainable management policies, integrated strategies, and intelligent policymaking in the water and agriculture sectors to prevent water crises and environmental degradation, thereby ensuring a sustainable future. ;'
Keywords
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