volume 2, number 2, july-december 2014icmr.crru.ac.th/journal/journal 4/10 underground water table...

Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

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UNDERGROUND WATER TABLE POSITION OF KYAUKSE TOWNSHIP: THE CASE STUDY OF KYAUKSE PLAIN

Dr. Hlaing Myo Myo Htay Department of Geography

Yadanabon University, Mandalay, Myanmar

ABSTRACT Kyaukse ar ea lying i n the

eastern pe riphery of dry z one of Myanmar h as t o rely o n the surface water resources f rom Z awgyi, Panlaung and S amon r ivers f or agriculture. F or drinking w ater and partly f or i rrigation of g arden lands, underground w ater i s ut ilized. To utilize safe and sustainable underground water r esources, it is imp ortant to know t he underground w ater oc cur-rence, w ater t able pos ition a nd its related pr esent a nd f uture problems. In Kyaukse alluvial plain, coarse sand and gravelly horizons are found to be main aquifer o f w ater t able aquifer. Almost a ll the water samples quality show t hat t otal di ssolved solids (TDS) and electric conductance (EC) are acceptable limit. The elevation of water t able gradually l owers towards north- northwest di rection, t he highest being m ore than 350 f eet (above s ea l evel) at t he v icinity o f Shantaungu range a nd K yaukse hi ll. The s hallow w ater table i s f ound a t Shabin village tr act in th e n orthwest of t he ar ea l ying at 2 30 f eet. The water table p osition in dicates th e

prevalence of its relationship with the regional s urface morphology. D epths to water t able g radually d ecrease from more than 30 feet up to 6 feet in the w est south w est direction. Measurement of w ater t able w as performed at 30 vi llages during summer a nd a t the e nd of rainy season. A t M insu a nd K obin village tracts, in summer as well as at the end of rainy season water table lies at the depth of less than 10 feet. Based upon the pe culiar na ture of t he underground water ta ble, it is r ecommended th at future r ational planning f or water resources utilization s hould be m ade for s ustainable development of the area.

KEY WORDS water table, aquifer, water quality

INTRODUCTION

Kyaukse Township i s one of the m ost i mportant t ownships in Mandalay D ivision in a gricultural and industrial a spects. S ome Indus-


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trial c omplexes a nd mo st o f th e agricultural p ractices o ccupy this Kyaukse plain. T hus, i t i s t he m ost important area in central Myanmar.

Kyaukse ar ea i s p art o f t he dry a rea a nd a nnual pr ecipitation is small c ompared to other pa rts of monsoon area, i t ha s t o de pend on natural w ater r esources w hich ar e water from t he local s treams an d rivers a nd underground w ater for these ne eds. Thus, ha nd-dug wells and t ube w ells ha d be en dr illed in order t o r etrieve t he g round water resources t o solve t he pr oblem of water i nsufficiency en countered i n this area for domestic uses.

Underground w ater resources which are more or less reliable source for s afe water supply pl ay a n important r ole i n t he world. I f i t has to depend on unde rground w ater resources, n ature of i ts occurrence, especially w ater t able condition becomes important to be considered.

PREVIOUS STUDIES

Although physical characteristics of Kyaukse area had been s tudied by many researchers co ncerned, the study on t he unde rground water resources h ad not b een carried out from t he g eomorphologic point of view. Rural Water Supply Division of former A gricultural Mechanization Department, now W ater R esources Utilization Department of Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation had carried out drilling for underground water in

this a rea. Also l ocal population ha d performed w ater je t d rilling o f shallow wells. A lthough t he dr illing records are a vailable, no lucid a ccount on underground water ha d be en mentioned.

M.M. I vanitsin ( 1962, 1962 a) ha d de scribed t he hy dro geologic account of Myanmar and dry zone of Myanmar which mentioned generalized nature of underground water occurrence in broad a lluvial pl ain of T hazi- Kyaukse- Mandalay ar ea. Detailed description of unde rground w ater of the pr esent s tudy a rea ha d not yet been made at present.

U. D A ung B a( 1965 ) had carried out t he unde rground w ater resources s tudy of Kyaukse a nd pa rt of Meiktila ar ea and m entioned t he nature of o ccurrence o f underground water in this area.

M.L T hein and S an Thu (1984) of A pplied G eology D epart-ment a nd L . D urey (1986), U NICEF consultant, described t he r egional nature of underground w ater of central Myanmar including dry zone. In t heir w orks, hy drogeology of Kyaukse-Mandalay plain w as briefly mentioned.

In a ll t he a bove m entioned works, particular na ture of w ater table a nd its longterm impact on the surface phy sical c ondition ha d not been s tated. I n the pr esent study, nature o f w ater t able i n t he p resent irrigated area and its related problems are determined for the future rational utilization of underground water.


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The unde rground water h ave been supplemental t o t he s urface water r esources needed f or the development of s ocial a nd e conomic condition of t he l ocal popul ation i n the study a rea, a nd t hus i t i s necessary to k now the o ccurrence o f underground w ater in this ar ea. I n this pr esent s tudy, the m ain pur pose is t o know t he water t able a nd its distribution throughout the area.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The o bjectives o f w ater table study at the alluvial plain of Kyaukse area are performed with the following purposes:

1. T o determine t he position of water t able, and i ts f low direction and t he de pth t o the w ater t able throughout the study area.

2. To f ind out the area where the water table rests at shallow level.

3. To de termine the na ture of fluctuation of w ater t able n ear t he canals and its distributaries.

4. To identify the composition of unde rground w ater, its r elation to the pos ition of water t able an d i ts suitability for the specific purposes of utilization.

To f ulfill the a bove objectives, the r esearch programmer had be en carried out by performing f ield t rips, monitoring of w ater table a nd labo-ratory analysis of the collected water samples.

METHODS USED In t he pr esent s tudy, t he

following methods of s tudy are performed:

1. C ollection of pr evious study.

2. F ield survey and t aking sample me asurement b y u sing w ith the GPS, Tape, Plumb bob.

3. A nalysis of d ata us ing t he software’s o f G IS, AutoCad, Arc/View, Sulfer 7.

4. Interpretation SCOPE OF WORK

The outline o f the r esearch is to en umerate the p hysical and chemical n ature an d distribution of water t able i n the s tudy area an d its influence on t he physical na ture of the area.

PHYSICAL BACKGROUND OF STUDY AREA

Location Kyaukse Township is situated

in the eastern part of the Dry zone of central Myanmar. It is lying between latitudes 2 1° 26′N a nd 2 2° 20′N an d between longitudes 95° 57′ E and 96° 58′ E. T he t ownship ha s a n a rea of 725.278 square miles. Topography of Kyaukse T ownship can be di vided into Kyaukse plain and the Yeyaman range. The Kyaukse plain lies within the p resent s tudy area. The l ocation of t he s tudy area i s delimited th e western part of the Kyaukse township


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lying between latitudes 21° 26′ N and 21° 50′ N a nd l ongitudes 95 ° 57′ E and 96° 20′ E. It has an area of about 90.8 s quare miles w ide. S o t his ar ea has be en s urveyed t o s tudy t he settlement area with the objective for the f uture water r esources d evelop-ment o f th e western part o f t he Kyaukse Township (Figure 1.1).

Topography and Drainage The pl ain i s ve ry gently

inclined dow nward from south t o north, a nd e ast t o w est, so t hat general direction of its drainage is to the nor thwest. I t is l ying a bove 250 feet above s ea l evel. W ithin this plain, the alluvial valley area is made up of sand clay and loam.

Myitnge River, Zawgyi River, and S amon R iver dr ain in t his pl ain. A system of canal fed by the Zawgyi and Panlaung r ivers lies b etween t he Samon r ivers in t he west and t he Shan h ills i n t he eas t. T hese canals are Minye can al, T hindwe can al. Htongyi canal, Pyaungbya can al , Ngapyaung can al, T amoke can al, Zidaw can al, et c. These m ay be rechargeable ar ea o r replenishment area for the underground water.

Climate Study area i s one of t he dr y

zone areas i n cen tral M yanmar. According to Koppen’s classification, it has a tropical steppe climate (BSh) in s ome y ears and t ropical savanna climate (Aw) in s ome y ears in th e low l and. It r eceives a t otal average rainfall of 27.23 inches. The average

maximum temperature is 95.62°F and the minimum temperature is 66.56 °F (Figure 1.2).

Vegetation The v egetation of t he ar ea is

controlled by c limatic c onditions, especially r ainfall. Large t rees l ike tamarind ( Tamarindus indicus), kokko ( Pithicolodium Saman) an d mango ( Mangifera Indica) ar e t hrive well unde r existing c onditions .The species v ary depending upon t he temperature, w ater supply, s oil type and relief of the area.

Soil The s oil cover of Kyaukse

plain i s c omplicated de pending upon the geomorphologic c ondition of the township. The following are the main types of soils, which a re f ound i n Kyaukse T ownship such as Meadow Alluvial S oils, B rown Meadow Slightly C ompact S oils, A lluvial Soils, B rown C ompact S oils, B rown Compact S avanna Soils, R ed Brown Forest Soils, and Cinnamon Soils.

Geological Setting Kyaukse ar ea can b e d ivided

into flat p lain f orming p art of t he long a lluvial v alley extending f rom north t o s outh in w hich r un the Samon a nd P anlaung rivers, a nd the lower water o f th e M yitnge. The alluvial valley is bounded on the west by nor th – south trending lo w flat ridge of uppe r tertiary be ds which belong t o t he I rrawaddian rocks consisting o f c onglomerate, g ritty sandstones and small bands of shale.


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The t exture i s moderately f ine. Metamorphic rocks ar e w ell f oliated biotite g neiss f orming th e prominent pagoda hi ll at K yaukse. Shwethal-

yaung hill is composed of gneiss and unclassified c rystalline rocks dipping to north north-west.

Figure 1.1. Location Map of the Study Area.


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Figure 1.2. Climograph of Kyaukse (1981-2010). Table 1. Data Climograph of Kyaukse (1981-2010).

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Avg./ Total

Max. Temp. (°F)

87.4 94 101 104 102 98.9 97.3 95 94.6 96.4 90.6 86.9 95.62

Mean. Temp. (°F)

69.7 74.7 80.95 88.4 87.6 85.7 84.9 83.6 84.5 84.3 77.7 71.3 81.09

Min. Temp. (°F)

52 55.4 60.9 72.8 73.2 72.7 72.4 72.1 74.5 72.2 64.8 55.6 66.56

Rainfall (inch) 0.01 0.15 0.46 1.05 4.44 2.89 2.69 4.21 4.74 4.51 1.93 0.15 27

Source: Meteorology and Hydrology Department, Kyaukse.

AQUIFER An a quifer i s g enerally a roc k

body, whether i t may be c onsolidated or unconsolidated s ediments, a nd a s long as it can hold and store water and

it c an tr ansmit water e nough for utilization, it is te rmed a s aquifer. Kyaukse P lain i s unde rlain by consolidated roc ks of sedimentary, metasedimentary and intrusive rocks as well a s unconsolidated s ediments; i t


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can be generalized as having two types of a quifers, v iz, consolidated a nd unconsolidated aquifers.

Aquifer of Consolidated Rocks

The eastern part of the area is underlain by the sedimentary rocks of Prepaleozoic, Paleozoic an d Mesozoic age. The area i s transverse in eas t-west di rection by t he Shantaung U and Kyaukse hill, which are composed of m etamorphic r ocks of P aleozoic and M esozoic age (Geology Map of Myanmar, 1977). Aquifer of Unconsolidated Sediments

The cen tral an d w estern p art of the area is underlain by the alluvial sediments. At the eastern periphery of the alluvial plain which is close to the Yeyaman range, a r ather elevated morphology of the plain i s f ound. In these p laces, t he coarse s ediments o f alluvial f ans a re mix ed w ith th e sediments of a lluvial plain. A t th e western bounda ry, this a lluvial plain is underlain by Irrawaddian rocks (U. D. Aung Ba, 1965).

Subsurface Setting

Water bearing capacity o f t he rocks va ries f rom one a nother depending upon the lithology of t he rocks. In K yaukse area, t he a lluvial sediments c omposing of s andy l oam and coarse sands are found to possess good water s torage cap acity. H ence, many ha nddug wells and t ube w ells are sunk in this alluvial sediment for

domestic an d agricultural purposes. As t hese s ediments ar e t he p roducts of f luvial p rocesses, g enerally t hey have the na ture of i nconsistency in distribution. This i s evident f rom the lithologic c rosssections drawn acr oss the area.

Subsurface cr oss-section ( A) drawn f rom K yauksaukkalay i n the west an d Mainban in t he e ast which are l ying i n t he s outh of t he a rea shows t hat t he cl ayey f raction is dominant in t he east a nd g radually sandy ones i ncrease towards w est. A thick cl ay bed be comes w edged out towards the west having the thickness of about 150' in t he e ast and it is found t o be interlayer i n t he west mixing with s and l ayers of 10' - 20'. Waterbearing layer o f g ravels l ies at the depth of more than 150'. (Fig 2.1) Subsurface cross-section (B) drawn at north of t he a rea a long K yeebya in the w est and Y ebawgyi i n t he east shows that the water-bearing layer of gravels ha ving the thickness of 10' -30' lies a t t he s hallow de pth of 60' -170'. I t i s ove rlain by t he t hick clay and shale layers. (Figure 2.2)

Based on the data of these two cross-sections it is e vident th at th e aquifer in the north lies at the shallow depth, w hereas t he a quifer i n the south is lying at the deeper level than the f ormer. F urthermore, i t suggests that t he a quifer of g ravelly s and and coarse sands are thick in the east and it b ecomes g radually in terlayer w ith clay in the west.


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Figure 2.1. Cross-section (A) of the southern part of Kyaukse Plain from west to east.

Figure 2.2. Cross-section (B) of the northern part of the Kyaukse Plain from west to east.

QUALITY OF UNDERGROUND WATER

To determine the suitability in utilization of underground water, it is necessary t o know their pot ential a s well as th e chemical q uality. A lthough there ar e 6 851 w ater w ells i n K yaukse

area, water s amples were t aken from only 64 villages which are situated in every part o f o ur study ar ea. W ater samples w ere taken i n September, 2005 and 64 water samples were sent to the l aboratory of W ater Sanitation Department o f Mandalay C ity


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Development Committee an d an alyzed for their TDS (Total Dissolved Solid) and EC (Electric Conductance) (table 2).Which h as i ndicated distribution pattern of E C shows that m ore t han 1000 micromhos/cm is found only at Thingdaung water w ell a nd the remaining one s ha ve E C l ower than that. Distribution p attern of T DS is noticed t hat a little h igher c ontent having more than 600 ppm and above is s een at S ulegone, Hnectkadaung and Thindaung villages and less than 500 ppm is occurred at the remaining villages. Water that contains less than 500 ppm of T DS i s g enerally satisfactory for domestic and irrigated agriculture uses. (FG.Driscoll,1986) (Fig 3.1)

Also, 1 4 w ater s amples were sent t o t he laboratory of Myanmar

Agricultural Service ( Land U se), Ministry o f A griculture a nd Irrigation, t o analyse their ch emical composition. It is found that majority of the unde rground w ater a re of bicarbonate type, except in two areas such as Yanbetlo (chloride- bicarbonate type) a nd S hantaungu (bicarbonate-sulphate type). T hus, i t is f ound t hat almost all of the underground water is of good quality water type.

The va lue of S AR (Sodium Absorption R atio) of unde rground water falls within the range of 0.01 to 16.01. It shows that they are regarded as g ood quality w ater suitable for agricultural purposes. In almost all of the unde rground w ater, t he pr esence of n itrate nitrogen c ompound i s noted.


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Table 2. Spatial value of TDS and EC in Study Area. No Village TDS

(ppm) EC

(micromhos/cm) No Village TDS

(ppm) EC

(micromhos/cm)

1 Yanbetlo 350 550 33 Kontha 290 310 2 Shantaungu 320 500 34 Thanmantalin 370 580 3 Pintale 281.6 440 35 Lezegon 435.2 290 4 Kobin 294.4 460 36 Legyi 236.8 370 5 Pyitawtha 307.2 480 37 Mazebin 262.4 410 6 Letpanzin 211.2 330 38 Htanaungpinhla 326.4 510 7 Kongyi 211.2 330 39 Shweda 409.6 640 8 Kade 243.2 180 40 Kyaungbankon 204.8 320 9 Bongwin 172.8 380 41 Kyakar 185.6 290 10 YemaU 204.8 270 42 Kyieik 358.4 560 11 Tawdwin 268.8 320 43 Tazo 243.2 380 12 Thanywa 116.4 420 44 Kyaukse 691.2 1080 13 Minzu 288 260 45 Paukpingwe 198.4 310 14 Kyeebya 217.6 450 46 Pegin 192 190 15 Tadale 595.2 340 47 Hnegtkhataung 806.4 1260

16 Ngetoe(east) 230.4 930 48 Sulegone 640 1000

17 Montboung 256 360 49 Thindaung 720 1152 18 Shweda 371.2 400 50 Kyetsin 140.8 220

19 Nyaung shwe 435.2 220 51 Theepin 305 1089

20 Shwein 179.2 580 52 Dan 430 671 21 Indaing 275.2 680 53 Balegwin 853.4 1333

22 Thagaya(west) 198.4 280 54 Taungnatha 1391.8 2173

23 KalaingKyaw 499.2 430 55 Ingon 935 2750

24 Shabin 595.2 310 56 Shwelay 197.1 307.8 25 Ywapale 249.6 780 57 Phyaukseikpin 1061.2 1657 26 Maingban 275.2 930 58 Zayaphyu 410.24 640 27 Phaungywa 140.8 390 59 Nyaungpinsauk 582.4 910 28 Patta 185.6 430 60 Singun 115.2 180 29 Thapyewin 204.8 220 61 Uyin 208.8 326.25 30 Paedawgyi 262.4 290 62 Taunglwe 160 250 31 Panan 198.4 320 63 Taungnaut 339.2 529.6 32 putting 371.2 410 64 Taungtaw 577.4 902.2 Source: Field survey


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Figure 3.1. Map showing the distribution of TDS in the underground water of Study Area.

Source: Table 2


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Figure 3.2. Map showing the distribution of EC in the underground water of

Study Area. Source: Table 2 UNDERGROUND WATER TABLE POSITION OF STUDY AREA

In Kyaukse ar ea t here ar e 6000 t ube w ells a nd 851 ha nd-dug wells ( Kyaukse C ity Development

Committee, 2012) . Among t he tube wells, the records of only 96 wells are available an d t hese data ar e u sed in compilation of water t able contour map. Out of 851 hand-dug wells, only 36 wells a re m easured t o know t he


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fluctuation o f water ta ble in some selected areas. Water Table Contour

The n ature o f w ater table contours i s shown i n F igure 4.1. From this water table contour map, it is found t hat e levation of t he w ater table g radually l owers t owards t he north-northwest direction. S ome of the higher levels are found around the Shantaungu and K yaukse h ill ar ea and i t exceeds 350 feet. The shallow underground w ater t able is found a t the northwest of the area, i .e. Shabin village where water table rests at 230 feet. It is f ound th at w ater ta ble contours a round Kyaukse hi ll and ShantaungU r ange ar e r ather closely spaced t han t hose found a t the alluvial p lain o f w estern ar ea. T he fact is th at in the l atter ar ea water table is s loping v ery g ently in accordance w ith t he s urface morphology of alluvial plain satisfies the relationship of the general na ture of w ater table p osition with th e regional s urface morphology. I t is usually s een at t he ar ea w here the water table aquifer of unconsolidated sediments underlies.

Underground Water Flow

In the south-central part of the area, i .e. a t Paukpinkwe vi llage, the underground water f lows t owards northeast and it is similar to the flow direction of P anlaung R iver. The

gradient of t he flow i n the s outh is 1/158 and i t g radually c hanges t o 1/1372 ( i.e. at Magyidaw v illage). Usually in w ater table aq uifer t he underground w ater f low i s in accordance w ith t he slope di rection of t he r egional s urface m orphology (Davis, S N. A nd De W iest, R.J.M., 1966).In S hantaungu s outh a rea, t he grounder w ater in itially flows towards south a nd i t t urns t owards west, a nd then nor thwest direction (see Pyidawtha Ywadaw and Ywashe area). A lso at S hantaungu v illage it flows t owards w est and t hen i t turns northwesterly di rection t owards Shabin ar ea. T he g radient o f w ater table at Shantaungu is found as 1/264 and t hen g radually l owers a nd becomes 1/ 1478. H owever i t becomes 1/264, then again i t reduces to 1/950 (Yanbonthit area).

At the e ast of K yaukse hi ll, the initial gradient o f the water table is 1/ 211 ( Ngasu village) a nd it becomes 1/422 a t the nor th of Minmwe hi ll. This unusual na ture of gradient ch anges m ay b e d ue t o t he heterogeneous na ture of aquifer (Driscoll, F G, 1986) or s hallow underlying of buried rock body..

At the north of Kyaukse area, the unde rground w ater f lows due north. T he gradient i n the s outh i s 1/105 and it gradually decreases to be 1/158 and then it becomes 1/316 - (Figure 4.2).


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Figure 4.1. Map showing the water table Contour of Kyaukse Plain. Source: Field survey


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Figure 4.2. The hydraulic gradient and Ground water flows of Study Area. Source: owned researcher Depth to Water Table

Depth t o water t able map shows the s patial distribution of t he depth of the w ater table b elow the land surface. T he water l evel d ata measured from all wells observed for a certain d ate represent t he u pper surface o f w ater table b elow land surface. (Figure 4.3)

The d epth t o w ater t able is high i n s uch areas as Y ebawgyi and other v illages lying a t the east of the

area having m ore t han 30 f eet de pth water table in the wells of Thindaung, Panan and Kyieik is found to be lying at the de pth of between 22 a nd 30 feet. This unus ual nature of water table p osition ly ing a t th e g reater depth at s ome localized area can be explained th at Y ebawgyi v illage is situated on t he a lluvial f an de posits stretching along t he w estern p art o f Yeyaman range. The areas where the shallow w ater table l ies are f ound at


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Dandaing, Peleze, Tazoe , Minzu and Ingon vi llages a nd water table is found to rest at the depth of 6-10 feet. The d epth t o w ater t able g radually decreases t o 1 4 f eet i n s outh w est direction t owards K alagyaung a nd to 10 f eet in w est southwest di rection towards Thindaung nor th. It c an be generalized t hat w ater t able l ies within t he depth of 6 -10 f eet i n Kyaukse plain.

Depth Zone

In t he s tudy a rea, de pth to water t able can be divided i nto 7 zones with 5 f eet interval s tarting from the shallowest zone of 0-2 feet. These zones are 0-2 ft , 2-7 ft, 7-12 ft, 12- 17 ft, 17-22 ft, 22-27 ft and 27-32 zones (Fig .4.4) The shallowest zones of l ess than 2 feet a re found a t Dandaing, Minzu, Tazoe, Paedawgyi, Shantaungu, K obin and Zale v illage tracts. The zone of 27-32 feet depth is found onl y a t a n a rea covering Yebawgyi a nd T habyewun vi llage tracts.

Figure 4.3. Map showing the Depth to Water Table contour.

Source: Kyaukse City Development Committee and Field Survey


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Figure 4.4. Map showing the Depth Zone of water table.

Source: Kyaukse City Development Committee and Field Survey

Fluctuation of Water Table The fluctuation of water table

aquifer in s ome places w here t he water table is ly ing s hallow ma y affect the ove rlying s oil a nd vegetation of that area. The nature of seasonal f luctuation of water level in tube w ells of 30 vi llages w hich a re situated in different parts of the study area h ad been i nvestigated in September, 2005.

Observation at Villages In or der to know the

fluctuation o f w ater table in the whole ar ea, m easurement o f water table was made at 30 v illages during summer a nd e nd of r ainy season (Table 3). These data are used for the compilation of the maps showing the lowest an d highest w ater t able position at s ummer a nd e nd of r ainy season. Which a ppeared i n (Figure- 4.5) showing the g eneral n ature of


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water table f luctuation o f tu be w ells at some selected village tracts.

At the end of rainy season the places w here t he w ater t able l ies shallow i .e. 6 -10 feet de pth occupy the ar ea o f P anlaung v alley. I n summer, the water table lowers to the depth of 15 feet in that area. Thus the magnitude of fluctuation is 5- 10 feet. In the northern and west northwestern area at t he end o f rainy s eason, it generally lie s a t the depth of 14 f eet

but i n s ummer i t lowers up t o the depth of 24 feet. Thus the magnitude of fluctuation i s a bout 10 f eet. T hus the seasonal fluctuation of water table in these areas does not exceed 5 feet. In s ome cas es w here t he w ater table lies at m ore de pth i .e. 15 f eet, it fluctuates up to the depth of 7feet and 2 f eet at Y wapale an d Kyibya respectively. I t suggests t he prob-ability of more infiltration by surface water.

Figure 4.5. Seasonal ground water level changes in Study Area.

Source: Field survey


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Table 3. Seasonal Groundwater Level Changes in Study Area.

Village Static Water level(ft) Summer (Depth to water level)(ft)

Rainy (Depth to water level)(ft)

Dwehla 15 18 10 Zayatphyu 14 20 10 Indaing 20 25 15 Taungnaut 7 10 5 Thindaung 10 13 9 Nyaung pinsauk 8 13 4 Walonegone 13 16 10 Puttaing 10 15 9 Nyaungshwe 12 18 10 Kyaungbangone 20 29 20 Hammyinmo 7 10 5 Kobin 6 8 4 Inyoung 5 6 8 Minsu 7 10 5 Taungnatha 27 30 15 Hnegtkhataung 15 25 7 E-Ngetoe 20 25 15 Yebawlay 20 25 15 Ngasu 14 17 10 Shanywagyi 12 15 10 E-ywanan 10 15 10 Ywapale 11 15 7 Thankyatkone 20 23 15 W-thagaya 6 10 5 Tasoe 13 15 8 Ywanan 4 9 4 Letpan 12 15 10 Mazepin 10 8 5 Panan 14 16 14 Kyibya 10 15 2 Source: Field survey


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FINDING AND DISCUSSION Based upon t he m entioned

facts, s ome f ollowing peculiarities regarding t he occurrence o f water table and its influence on the physical and e nvironmental characteristics i n Kyaukse area can be made.

Water Table Contour The pos ition of und erlying

water table in Kyaukse area i s found to be s loping towards nor thwest i n accordance w ith t he r egional s urface morphology. In places a round w estern foothills of Yeyaman range, Shantaungu range and K yaukse a nd M inmwe hills, the w ater t able rests at h igher position than the regional level. Thus, these ar eas can b e regarded as recharge a rea o f aq uifer b y t he seasonal surface run-off.

Underground Water Flow The underground w ater f low

is described and it can be generalized that m ore or less it f ollows the regional drainage pattern. This fact is supported by the changes i n gradient of flow on the same path.

Depth to Water Table and

Depth Zone As mentioned, w ater ta ble is

generally found to be a t the depth of 6-10 f eet, except i n a f ew localized areas having l ess or m ore t han t hat. The de ep lying na ture of water t able is t otally i nfluenced b y t he surface morphology. Thus, differing nature of depth to water table is present.

The s hallow z one of w ater table l ying l ess t han 2 f eet m ay b e represented by the presence of ponds, lakes or s wamps on t he g round surface. If t he water t able lies at t he depth of less t han 2 f eet, water log-ging problem will be encountered. In waterlogged soil, w ater rises to th e root zone of the plants, retarding their growth.

In i rrigated areas, if the water table is l ying within t he depth of 10 feet or 3 meters, it can be sometimes dangerous t o t he agricultural f ertile lands T hus, in K yaukse area, proper attention should be paid to this factor in planning f or s ustainable de velop-ment of the land resources.

Water Table Fluctuation Seasonal fluctuation is high in

elevated area o f al luvial p lain. These areas are recharge areas of the aquifer through which rain and surface runoff infiltrate to the underground water. In the p lain area h aving water t able of less t han 10 f eet in s ummer, it fluctuates up t o pos ition of 5 f eet below the surface at the end of rainy season. B ased on the water t able position at the end of rainy season in villages, it can be deduced as follows;

1. At the end of rainy season, the w ater t able r ises up t o t he depth of within 5 f eet at Minsu a nd K obin village tr acts. I t in dicates th at it h as much potential of da maging soil fertility due to c apillary rise a nd in some places there will be problem of water logging.


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2. At the same time, the zone with the w ater t able of l ess t han 7.5 feet s hows an oblong s hape ha ving the s hallowest p lace at Minsu a nd Kobin a nd t rending northwest- southeast direction. A t t he nor thern part of the area at the village tracts of Thindaung- a z one o f s imilar n ature has be en not ed. In t his area i f the capillarity rises u p to its ma ximum limit, it will possibly be carrying salts upwards and ha rmful t o s urface condition.

3. I f t he w ater t able lowers down w ith 5 feet f rom t he highest position ( i.e. M insu and K obin) t he resultant zone forms as that of Panlaung

and S amon a lluvial pl ain. If t he recharges b y i rrigation r eturn w ater and surface drainage in surplus amount, the water t able r ise upwards an d i t will probably cause the damage to the fertility of soil.

4. A ssuming that w ater table lowers 5 f eet de pth a t s ummer, the zone ha ving w ater table l ess t han 5 feet at t he en d o f r ainy s eason w ill have t he water table l ying less t han 10 feet depth . Thus, the village tracts of M insu a nd K obin ha ve m uch tendency to d eteriorate t he s oil fertility d ue to th e f luctuation of water table for the whole year (Figure 5.1).

Figure 5.1 Water table position at the end of rainy season showing future expected deterioration of soil fertility.

Source: Field survey


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CONCLUSION Kyaukse ar ea, l ying i n the

eastern pe riphery of dry z one of Myanmar i s insufficient in natural water r esources. If t he underground water can b e u sed as an alternative source, i t w ill s olve t he pr oblem of water insufficiency i n the ar ea. T o attain such o bjective, i t i s n ecessary to know t he na ture of unde rground water o ccurrence, w ater table c ondition and its related problems.

Physical characteristics o f the area i.e. ar ea l ying i n t he K yaukse plain pr oper which t he pr esent s tudy is solely p aid much a ttention to indicates th at th e water n eeds are very i mportant for t he development of the area.

The el evation o f t he w ater table g radually l owers t owards t he north-northwest direction.

The ar eas of cl osely spaced water t able co ntour are r egarded as recharge area of the aquifer.

This unu sual na ture of gradient ch anges m ay b e d ue t o t he heterogeneous na ture of aquifer o r shallow unde rlying of bur ied r ock body or pr esence of s ome t opo-graphically elevated ar eas i n al luvial plain.

The ar eas w here t he s hallow water t able (6-10 feet) l ies are found at D andaing, Peleze, T azoe , M inzu and Ingon vi llages. I n this a rea of shallow water table position which is less than 1 0 f eet, the o ccurrence o f

surface w ater b ody an d s wamps are found.

Hence, i t has t o summarize and g eneralize t hat w ater l ogging problem e xists in topographically depressed area an d l ocally i n t hese areas of s hallow u nderlying w ater table which may hi nder t he h ealthy growth of c rops c ontamination by pesticides an d pollutants f rom industrial s ites can be ex pected in such ar ea as K yaukse p lain w here water table lies shallow.

Measurement of w ater t able was pe rformed a t 30 vi llages during summer an d at the e nd of rainy season. Thus, the range of fluctuation is a bout 10 feet. T hus, i t has a lso to conclude that the above said physical deterioration w ill be e ncountered a t places w here water ta ble lie s within 10 feet depth.

Based upon t he peculiar nature of the underground water table and other characteristics of the water table aquifer, it is r ecommended that future r ational planning for w ater resources utilization s hould be m ade for s ustainable development of the area.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and f oremost, I a m

indebted t o D r Khin M aung Oo (Rector, Yadanabon University, Amarapura Township) w ho ha s supported to attend i n t his c onference. M y deep gratitude i s e xtended t o D r Maung Maung N aing ( Pro-Rector, Y adanabon


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University) f or hi s s incere coope-ration. A nd also I would like to express my s pecial g ratitude t o D r Than T han W in, P rofessor, H ead of Geography D epartment, Yadanabon University f or he r g uides and permission. I am al ways deepest thank to D r M aung T hin ( Rtd., Rector, Dagon University and Yangon), for his teaching and guides.

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