Artificial Recharge Using Water Harvesting and Dug Wells

Artificial recharge is any engineered process which replenishes an aquifer. Artificial recharge can play an important role in water resources management, especially where it leads to supplying ground water during times of drought. This paper reviews the concepts of artificial recharge, including the chemical, physical and biological processes which act on water as it infiltrates through soil to the aquifer. The paper also considers water harvesting from roof runoff and using hand dug dry wells for infiltration. This low-cost approach may be well suited to locally augment declining water tables and improve water quality in rural and urban areas. Favorable hydrogeological attributes and other factors are presented which should lead to successful implementation.