Title: Groundwater drought assessment in Southwestern Bangladesh

Authors: Noor-E-Ashmaul Husna; Sheikh Hefzul Bari; G.M. Tarekul Islam; A.K.M. Saiful Islam

Addresses: Institute of Water and Flood Management, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh ' Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science, Fukushima University, Japan ' Institute of Water and Flood Management, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh ' Institute of Water and Flood Management, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh

Abstract: Globally, groundwater level depletion (groundwater drought) is a major issue. This issue is spreading throughout Bangladesh and poses an ongoing threat to safe water access. To comprehend the groundwater drought scenario in Bangladesh's salinity-prone southwestern coastal region, we employed a threshold level technique. The drought scales are determined using three threshold levels (170%, 190%, and 195% of mean water level). Findings indicate that the region has experienced moderate to severe drought in the past. Moderate drought periods often last two to three months. It is anticipated that occurrences of groundwater drought would advance the current salinity front further upstream.

Keywords: groundwater; drought; Bangladesh; coastal Bangladesh; groundwater drought index; threshold level; water deficit.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHST.2024.137778

International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology, 2024 Vol.17 No.3, pp.267 - 277

Received: 06 May 2022
Accepted: 05 Oct 2022
Published online: 05 Apr 2024 *

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