Influence of regional climatic on the hydrogeochemistry of a tropical river basin-a study from the Walawe river basin of Sri Lanka

The Walawe river basin is one of the important watersheds in Sri Lanka subjected to water scarcity due to intensive exploitation for irrigation and domestic purposes. The groundwater resource in the basin is under-explored for its capacity to sustain a continuous supply of water for future demand while facing the growing climate change challenges. The objective of this study was to identify the behavior of groundwater in the Walawe river basin that flows through two major climatic zones in Sri Lanka. The study approach includes hydrogeochemical and stable isotope analysis in order to differentiate the geochemical evolution of groundwater in the basin with respect to climatic factors. Water samples from thirty-eight (38) deep wells (> 20 m), 25 shallow wells, and 14 surface water bodies were collected and measured for their major ions, and isotope ratios of delta H-2 and delta O-18. The results indicated a clear difference in the geochemistry of groundwater between the two climatic zones of the basin. The dry zone area was characterized by a higher content of dissolved minerals as compared to that in the wet zone area. Silicate weathering, calcite dissolution, and ion exchange processes were found to be the main control of groundwater geochemistry in the basin. The Ca-HCO3-type water was found to be the predominant water type. The isotope data suggested that the groundwater in the study area is recharged mainly from the northeast monsoon rain. Isotope characteristics also suggested that direct infiltration is prominent in the wet zone regions, whereas modifications of shallow groundwater by evaporation were dominated in the dry zone areas. The findings of the study suggest that water quality management in the dry zone areas of the basin is critical for the future sustainability of the water resource of the basin.

Automated summary

The study used hydrogeochemical and stable isotope analysis to identify the geochemical differences of groundwater in the Walawe river basin, with the dry zone characterized by higher dissolved mineral content and the predominant water type being Ca-HCO3. Isotope data indicated that groundwater recharge mainly comes from northeast monsoon rain, with direct infiltration prominent in wet zones and evaporation-dominated modifications in dry zones.