Underground Water Table Position of Kyaukse Township: the Case Study of Kyaukse Plain

Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

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 prevalence of its relationship with the regional s urface morphology. D epths Kyaukse ar ea lying i n the to water t able g radually d ecrease eastern pe riphery of dry z one of from more than 30 feet up to 6 feet in Myanmar h as t o rely o n the surface the w est south w est direction. water resources f rom Z awgyi, Measurement of w ater t able w as Panlaung and S amon r ivers f or performed at 30 vi llages during agriculture. F or drinking w ater and summer a nd a t the e nd of rainy partly f or i rrigation of g arden lands, season. A t M insu a nd K obin village underground w ater i s ut ilized. To tracts, in summer as well as at the end utilize safe and sustainable underground of rainy season water table lies at the water r esources, it is imp ortant to depth of less than 10 feet. Based upon know t he underground w ater oc cur- the pe culiar na ture of t he underground rence, w ater t able pos ition a nd its water ta ble, it is r ecommended th at related pr esent a nd f uture problems. future r ational planning f or water In Kyaukse alluvial plain, coarse sand resources utilization s hould be m ade and gravelly horizons are found to be for s ustainable development of the main aquifer o f w ater t able aquifer. area. Almost all the water samples quality show t hat t otal di ssolved solids

(TDS) and electric conductance (EC) are acceptable limit. The elevation of KEY WORDS water t able gradually l owers towards water table, aquifer, water quality 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 INTRODUCTION Shantaungu range a nd K yaukse hi ll. The s hallow w ater table i s f ound a t Kyaukse Township i s one of Shabin village tr act in th e n orthwest the m ost i mportant t ownships in of t he ar ea l ying at 2 30 f eet. The Mandalay D ivision in a gricultural water table p osition in dicates th e and industrial a spects. S ome Indus-

134 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014 trial c omplexes a nd mo st o f th e this a rea. Also l ocal population ha d agricultural p ractices o ccupy this performed w ater je t d rilling o f shallow Kyaukse plain. T hus, i t i s t he m ost wells. A lthough t he dr illing records important area in central Myanmar. are a vailable, no lucid a ccount on underground water ha d be en Kyaukse ar ea i s p art o f t he mentioned. dry a rea a nd a nnual pr ecipitation is small c ompared to other pa rts of M.M. I vanitsin ( 1962, 1962 monsoon area, i t ha s t o de pend on a) ha d de scribed t he hy dro geologic natural w ater r esources w hich ar e account of Myanmar and dry zone of water from t he local s treams an d Myanmar w hich m entioned generalized rivers a nd underground w ater for nature of underground water occurrence these ne eds. Thus, ha nd-dug wells in broad a lluvial pl ain of T hazi- and t ube w ells ha d be en dr illed in Kyaukse- Mandalay ar ea. Detailed order t o r etrieve t he g round water description of unde rground w ater of resources t o solve t he pr oblem of the pr esent s tudy a rea ha d not yet water i nsufficiency en countered i n been made at present. this area for domestic uses. U. D A ung B a( 1965 ) had Underground w ater resources carried out t he unde rground w ater which are more or less reliable source resources s tudy of Kyaukse a nd pa rt for s afe water supply pl ay a n of Meiktila ar ea and m entioned t he important role i n t he world. If i t has nature of o ccurrence o f underground to depend on unde rground w ater water in this area. resources, n ature of i ts occurrence, M.L T hein and S an Thu especially w ater t able condition (1984) of A pplied G eology D epart- becomes important to be considered. ment a nd L. D urey (1986), U NICEF consultant, described t he r egional nature of underground w ater of PREVIOUS STUDIES central Myanmar including dry zone. Although physical characteristics In t heir w orks, hy drogeology of of Kyaukse area had been studied by Kyaukse-Mandalay plain w as briefly many researchers co ncerned, the mentioned. study on t he unde rground water In a ll t he a bove m entioned resources h ad not b een carried out works, particular na ture of w ater from t he g eomorphologic point of table a nd its longterm impact on the view. Rural Water Supply Division of surface phy sical c ondition ha d not former A gricultural Mechanization been s tated. I n the pr esent study, Department, now W ater R esources nature o f w ater t able i n t he p resent Utilization Department of Ministry of irrigated area and its related problems Agriculture and Irrigation had carried are determined for the future rational out drilling for underground water in utilization of underground water. 135 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

The unde rground water h ave METHODS USED been supplemental t o t he s urface In t he pr esent s tudy, t he water r esources needed f or the following methods of s tudy are development of s ocial a nd e conomic performed: condition of t he l ocal popul ation i n the study a rea, a nd t hus i t i s 1. C ollection of pr evious necessary to k now the o ccurrence o f study. underground w ater in this ar ea. I n 2. F ield survey and t aking this pr esent s tudy, the m ain pur pose sample me asurement b y u sing w ith is t o know t he water t able a nd its the GPS, Tape, Plumb bob. distribution throughout the area. 3. A nalysis of d ata us ing t he software’s o f G IS, AutoCad, Arc/View, Sulfer 7. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 4. Interpretation

The o bjectives o f w ater table study at the alluvial plain of Kyaukse SCOPE OF WORK area are performed with the following purposes: The outline of the research is to en umerate the p hysical and 1. T o determine t he position chemical n ature an d distribution of of water table, and its flow direction water t able i n the s tudy area an d its and t he de pth t o the w ater t able influence on t he physical na ture of throughout the study area. the area. 2. To find out the area where the water table rests at shallow level. PHYSICAL BACKGROUND OF 3. To determine the nature of STUDY AREA fluctuation of w ater t able n ear t he canals and its distributaries. Location Kyaukse Township is situated 4. To identify the composition in the eastern part of the Dry zone of of unde rground w ater, its r elation to central Myanmar. It is lying between the pos ition of water t able an d i ts latitudes 21° 26′N and 2 2° 20′N an d suitability for the specific purposes of between longitudes 95° 57′ E and 96° utilization. 58′ E. T he t ownship ha s a n a rea of To f ulfill the a bove objectives, 725.278 square miles. Topography of the r esearch programmer had be en Kyaukse T ownship can be di vided carried out by performing field t rips, into Kyaukse plain and the Yeyaman monitoring of w ater table a nd labo- range. The Kyaukse plain lies within ratory analysis of the collected water the p resent s tudy area. The l ocation samples. of t he s tudy area i s delimited th e western part of the Kyaukse township 136 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014 lying between latitudes 21° 26′ N and maximum temperature is 95.62°F and 21° 50′ N a nd l ongitudes 95 ° 57′ E the minimum temperature is 66.56 °F and 96° 20′ E. It has an area of about (Figure 1.2). 90.8 s quare miles w ide. S o t his ar ea has be en s urveyed t o s tudy t he Vegetation settlement area with the objective for The v egetation of t he ar ea is the f uture water r esources d evelop- controlled by c limatic c onditions, ment o f th e western part o f t he especially r ainfall. Large t rees l ike Kyaukse Township (Figure 1.1). tamarind ( Tamarindus indicus), kokko ( Pithicolodium Saman) an d Topography and Drainage mango (Mangifera Indica) ar e t hrive The pl ain i s ve ry gently well unde r existing c onditions .The inclined dow nward from south t o species v ary depending upon t he north, a nd e ast t o w est, so t hat temperature, w ater supply, s oil type general direction of its drainage is to and relief of the area. the nor thwest. I t is l ying a bove 250 feet above s ea l evel. W ithin this Soil plain, the alluvial valley area is made The s oil cover of Kyaukse up of sand clay and loam. plain i s complicated depending upon the geomorphologic c ondition of the Myitnge River, Zawgyi River, township. The following are the main and S amon R iver drain in t his pl ain. types of soils, which a re f ound i n A system of canal fed by the Zawgyi Kyaukse T ownship such as Meadow and Panlaung r ivers lies b etween t he Alluvial S oils, B rown Meadow Samon r ivers in t he west and t he Slightly C ompact S oils, A lluvial Shan h ills i n t he eas t. T hese canals Soils, B rown C ompact S oils, B rown are Minye can al, T hindwe can al. Compact S avanna Soils, R ed Brown Htongyi canal, Pyaungbya can al , Forest Soils, and Cinnamon Soils. Ngapyaung can al, T amoke can al,

Zidaw can al, et c. These m ay be rechargeable ar ea o r replenishment Geological Setting Kyaukse ar ea can b e d ivided area for the underground water. into flat p lain f orming p art of t he

long a lluvial v alley extending f rom Climate north t o s outh in w hich r un the Study area i s one of t he dr y Samon a nd P anlaung rivers, a nd the zone areas i n cen tral M yanmar. lower water o f th e M yitnge. The According to Koppen’s classification, alluvial valley is bounded on the west it has a tropical steppe climate (BSh) by nor th – south trending lo w flat in s ome y ears and t ropical savanna ridge of uppe r tertiary be ds which climate (Aw) in s ome y ears in th e belong t o t he I rrawaddian rocks low l and. It r eceives a t otal average consisting o f c onglomerate, g ritty rainfall of 27.23 inches. The average sandstones and small bands of shale. 137 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

The t exture i s moderately f ine. yaung hill is composed of gneiss and Metamorphic rocks ar e w ell f oliated unclassified crystalline rocks dipping biotite g neiss f orming th e prominent to north north-west. pagoda hi ll at K yaukse. Shwethal-

Figure 1.1. Location Map of the Study Area.

138 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

Figure 1.2. Climograph of Kyaukse (1981-2010).

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

Avg./ JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Total Max. Temp. 87.4 94 101 104 102 98.9 97.3 95 94.6 96.4 90.6 86.9 95.62 (°F) Mean. Temp. 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 (°F) Min. Temp. 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 (°F) Rainfall 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 (inch) Source: Meteorology and Hydrology Department, Kyaukse.

AQUIFER it c an tr ansmit water e nough for utilization, it is te rmed a s aquifer. An a quifer i s g enerally a roc k Kyaukse P lain i s unde rlain by body, whether i t may be c onsolidated consolidated roc ks of sedimentary, or unconsolidated s ediments, a nd a s metasedimentary and intrusive rocks as long as it can hold and store water and well a s unconsolidated s ediments; i t 139 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014 can be generalized as having two types domestic an d agricultural purposes. of a quifers, v iz, consolidated a nd As t hese s ediments ar e t he p roducts unconsolidated aquifers. of f luvial p rocesses, g enerally t hey have the na ture of i nconsistency in Aquifer of Consolidated Rocks distribution. This is evident from the The eastern part of the area is lithologic crosssections drawn acr oss underlain by the sedimentary rocks of the area. Prepaleozoic, Paleozoic an d Subsurface cr oss-section ( A) Mesozoic age. The area is transverse drawn f rom K yauksaukkalay i n the in eas t-west di rection by t he west an d Mainban in t he e ast which Shantaung U and Kyaukse hill, which are l ying i n t he s outh of t he a rea are composed of m etamorphic r ocks shows t hat t he cl ayey f raction is of P aleozoic and M esozoic age dominant in t he east a nd g radually (Geology Map of Myanmar, 1977). sandy ones i ncrease towards w est. A thick cl ay bed be comes w edged out Aquifer of Unconsolidated towards the west having the thickness Sediments of about 150' in t he e ast and it is The cen tral an d w estern p art found t o be interlayer i n t he west of the area is underlain by the alluvial mixing with s and l ayers of 10' - 20'. sediments. At the eastern periphery of Waterbearing layer o f g ravels l ies at the alluvial plain which is close to the the depth of more than 150'. (Fig 2.1) Yeyaman range, a r ather elevated Subsurface cross-section (B) drawn at morphology of the plain i s found. In north of t he a rea a long K yeebya in these places, t he coarse sediments of the w est and Y ebawgyi i n t he east alluvial f ans a re mix ed w ith th e shows that the water-bearing layer of sediments of a lluvial plain. A t th e gravels ha ving the thickness of 10' - western bounda ry, this a lluvial plain 30' lies a t t he s hallow de pth of 60' - is underlain by Irrawaddian rocks (U. 170'. I t i s ove rlain by t he t hick clay D. Aung Ba, 1965). and shale layers. (Figure 2.2) Based on the data of these two Subsurface Setting cross-sections it is e vident th at th e Water bearing capacity of t he aquifer in the north lies at the shallow rocks va ries f rom one a nother depth, w hereas t he a quifer i n the depending upon the lithology of t he south is lying at the deeper level than rocks. In K yaukse area, t he a lluvial the f ormer. F urthermore, i t suggests sediments c omposing of s andy l oam that t he a quifer of g ravelly s and and and coarse sands are found to possess coarse sands are thick in the east and good water s torage cap acity. H ence, it b ecomes g radually in terlayer w ith many ha nddug wells and t ube w ells clay in the west. are sunk in this alluvial sediment for

140 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

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 area, water samples were t aken from WATER only 64 villages which are situated in every part o f o ur study ar ea. W ater To determine the suitability in samples w ere taken i n September, utilization of underground water, it is 2005 and 64 water samples were sent necessary t o know their pot ential a s to the laboratory of Water Sanitation well as th e chemical q uality. A lthough Department o f Mandalay C ity there ar e 6 851 w ater w ells i n K yaukse 141 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

Development Committee an d an alyzed Agricultural Service ( Land U se), for their TDS (Total Dissolved Solid) Ministry o f A griculture a nd and EC (Electric Conductance) (table Irrigation, t o analyse their ch emical 2).Which h as i ndicated distribution composition. It is found that majority pattern of E C shows that m ore t han of the unde rground w ater a re of 1000 micromhos/cm is found only at bicarbonate type, except in two areas Thingdaung water w ell a nd the such as Yanbetlo (chloride- bicarbonate remaining one s ha ve E C l ower than type) a nd S hantaungu (bicarbonate- that. Distribution p attern of T DS is sulphate type). T hus, i t is f ound t hat noticed t hat a little h igher c ontent almost all of the underground water is having more than 600 ppm and above of good quality water type. is s een at S ulegone, Hnectkadaung The va lue of S AR (Sodium and Thindaung villages and less than Absorption R atio) of unde rground 500 ppm is occurred at the remaining water falls within the range of 0.01 to villages. Water that contains less than 16.01. It shows that they are regarded 500 ppm of T DS i s g enerally as g ood quality w ater suitable for satisfactory for domestic and irrigated agricultural purposes. In almost all of agriculture uses. (FG.Driscoll,1986) the unde rground w ater, t he pr esence (Fig 3.1) of n itrate nitrogen c ompound i s Also, 1 4 w ater s amples were noted. sent t o t he laboratory of Myanmar

142 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

Table 2. Spatial value of TDS and EC in Study Area.

No Village TDS EC No Village TDS EC (ppm) (micromhos/cm) (ppm) (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 Ngetoe(east 16 230.4 930 48 Sulegone 640 1000 ) 17 Montboung 256 360 49 Thindaung 720 1152 18 Shweda 371.2 400 50 Kyetsin 140.8 220 Nyaung 19 435.2 220 51 Theepin 305 1089 shwe 20 Shwein 179.2 580 52 Dan 430 671 21 Indaing 275.2 680 53 Balegwin 853.4 1333 Thagaya(w 22 198.4 280 54 Taungnatha 1391.8 2173 est) KalaingKya 23 499.2 430 55 Ingon 935 2750 w 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 Committee, 2012) . Among t he tube POSITION OF STUDY AREA wells, the records of only 96 wells are available an d t hese data ar e u sed in In Kyaukse ar ea t here ar e compilation of water t able contour 6000 t ube w ells a nd 851 ha nd-dug map. Out of 851 hand-dug wells, only wells ( Kyaukse C ity Development 36 wells a re m easured t o know t he 145 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014 fluctuation o f water ta ble in some gradient of t he flow i n the s outh is selected areas. 1/158 and i t g radually c hanges t o 1/1372 ( i.e. at Magyidaw v illage). Water Table Contour Usually in w ater table aq uifer t he The n ature o f w ater table underground w ater f low i s in contours i s shown i n F igure 4.1. accordance w ith t he slope di rection From this water table contour map, it of t he r egional s urface m orphology is found t hat e levation of t he w ater (Davis, S N. A nd De W iest, R.J.M., table g radually l owers t owards t he 1966).In S hantaungu s outh a rea, t he north-northwest direction. S ome of grounder w ater in itially flows the higher levels are found around the towards south a nd i t t urns t owards Shantaungu and K yaukse h ill ar ea west, a nd then nor thwest direction and it exceeds 350 feet. The shallow (see Pyidawtha Ywadaw and Ywashe underground w ater t able is found a t area). A lso at S hantaungu v illage it the northwest of the area, i.e. Shabin flows t owards west and t hen i t turns village where water table rests at 230 northwesterly di rection t owards feet. It is f ound th at w ater ta ble Shabin ar ea. T he g radient o f w ater contours a round Kyaukse hi ll and table at Shantaungu is found as 1/264 ShantaungU r ange ar e r ather closely and t hen g radually l owers a nd spaced t han t hose found a t the becomes 1/ 1478. H owever i t alluvial p lain o f w estern ar ea. T he becomes 1/264, then again it reduces fact is th at in the l atter ar ea water to 1/950 (Yanbonthit area). table is s loping v ery g ently in At the e ast of K yaukse hi ll, accordance w ith t he s urface the initial gradient of the water table morphology of alluvial plain satisfies is 1/ 211 ( Ngasu village) a nd it the relationship of the general nature becomes 1/422 a t the nor th of of w ater table p osition with th e Minmwe hill. This unusual nature of regional s urface morphology. I t is gradient ch anges m ay b e d ue t o t he usually s een at t he ar ea w here the heterogeneous na ture of aquifer water table aquifer of unconsolidated (Driscoll, F G, 1986) or s hallow sediments underlies. underlying of buried rock body.. At the north of Kyaukse area, Underground Water Flow the unde rground w ater f lows due In the south-central part of the north. T he gradient i n the s outh i s area, i .e. a t Paukpinkwe vi llage, the 1/105 and it gradually decreases to be underground water f lows t owards 1/158 and then it becomes 1/316 - northeast and it is similar to the flow (Figure 4.2). direction of P anlaung R iver. The

146 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

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 area having m ore t han 30 f eet de pth Depth t o water t able map water table in the wells of Thindaung, shows the s patial distribution of t he Panan and Kyieik is found to be lying depth of the w ater table b elow the at the de pth of between 22 a nd 30 land surface. T he water l evel d ata feet. This unus ual nature of water measured from all wells observed for table p osition ly ing a t th e g reater a certain d ate represent t he u pper depth at s ome localized area can be surface o f w ater table b elow land explained th at Y ebawgyi v illage is surface. (Figure 4.3) situated on t he a lluvial f an de posits stretching along t he w estern p art o f The d epth t o w ater t able is Yeyaman range. The areas where the high i n s uch areas as Y ebawgyi and shallow w ater table l ies are f ound at other villages lying at the east of the 148 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

Dandaing, Peleze, Tazoe , Minzu and In t he s tudy a rea, de pth to Ingon vi llages a nd water table is water t able can be divided i nto 7 found to rest at the depth of 6-10 feet. zones with 5 f eet interval s tarting The d epth t o w ater t able g radually from the shallowest zone of 0-2 feet. decreases t o 1 4 f eet i n s outh w est These zones are 0-2 ft , 2-7 ft, 7-12 ft, direction t owards Kalagyaung and to 12- 17 ft, 17-22 ft, 22-27 ft and 27-32 10 f eet in w est southwest di rection zones (Fig .4.4) The shallowest zones towards Thindaung nor th. It c an be of l ess than 2 feet a re found a t generalized t hat w ater t able l ies Dandaing, Minzu, Tazoe, Paedawgyi, within t he depth of 6 -10 f eet i n Shantaungu, K obin and Zale v illage Kyaukse plain. 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. Depth Zone

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 Observation at Villages The fluctuation of water table In or der to know the aquifer in s ome places w here t he fluctuation o f w ater table in the water table is ly ing s hallow ma y whole ar ea, m easurement o f water affect the ove rlying s oil a nd table was made at 30 villages during vegetation of that area. The nature of summer a nd e nd of r ainy season seasonal fluctuation of water level in (Table 3). These data are used for the tube w ells of 30 vi llages w hich a re compilation of the maps showing the situated in different parts of the study lowest an d highest w ater t able area h ad been i nvestigated in position at s ummer a nd e nd of r ainy September, 2005. season. Which a ppeared i n (Figure- 4.5) showing the g eneral n ature of 150 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014 water table f luctuation o f tu be w ells but i n s ummer i t lowers up t o the at some selected village tracts. depth of 24 feet. Thus the magnitude of fluctuation i s a bout 10 f eet. T hus At the end of rainy season the the seasonal fluctuation of water table places w here t he w ater t able l ies in these areas does not exceed 5 feet. shallow i .e. 6 -10 feet de pth occupy In s ome cas es w here t he w ater table the ar ea o f P anlaung v alley. I n lies at m ore de pth i .e. 15 f eet, it summer, the water table lowers to the fluctuates up to the depth of 7feet and depth of 15 feet in that area. Thus the 2 f eet at Y wapale an d Kyibya magnitude of fluctuation is 5- 10 feet. respectively. I t suggests t he prob- In the northern and west northwestern ability of more infiltration by surface area at t he end o f rainy s eason, it water. generally lies at the depth of 14 f eet

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.

Summer Rainy Village Static Water level(ft) (Depth to water level)(ft) (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 The s hallow z one of w ater Based upon t he m entioned table l ying l ess t han 2 f eet m ay b e facts, s ome f ollowing peculiarities represented by the presence of ponds, regarding t he occurrence o f water lakes or s wamps on t he g round table and its influence on the physical surface. If t he water t able lies at t he and e nvironmental characteristics i n depth of less t han 2 f eet, water log- Kyaukse area can be made. ging problem will be encountered. In waterlogged soil, w ater rises to th e Water Table Contour root zone of the plants, retarding their The pos ition of und erlying growth. water table in Kyaukse area is found In irrigated areas, if the water to be s loping towards nor thwest i n table is l ying within t he depth of 10 accordance w ith t he r egional s urface feet or 3 meters, it can be sometimes morphology. In places a round w estern dangerous t o t he agricultural f ertile foothills of Yeyaman range, Shantaungu lands T hus, in K yaukse area, proper range and K yaukse a nd M inmwe attention should be paid to this factor hills, the w ater t able rests at h igher in planning f or s ustainable de velop- position than the regional level. Thus, ment of the land resources. these ar eas can b e regarded as recharge a rea o f aq uifer b y t he Water Table Fluctuation seasonal surface run-off. Seasonal fluctuation is high in elevated area of alluvial plain. These Underground Water Flow areas are recharge areas of the aquifer The underground w ater f low through which rain and surface runoff is described and it can be generalized infiltrate to the underground water. In that m ore or less it f ollows the the p lain area h aving water t able of regional drainage pattern. This fact is less t han 10 f eet in s ummer, it supported by the changes in gradient fluctuates up t o pos ition of 5 f eet of flow on the same path. below the surface at the end of rainy season. B ased on the water t able Depth to Water Table and position at the end of rainy season in Depth Zone villages, it can be deduced as follows; As mentioned, w ater ta ble is generally found to be at the depth of 1. At the end of rainy season, 6-10 f eet, except i n a f ew localized the w ater t able r ises up t o t he depth areas having l ess or m ore t han t hat. of within 5 feet at Minsu and Kobin The deep lying nature of water t able village tr acts. I t in dicates th at it h as is t otally i nfluenced b y t he surface much potential of da maging soil morphology. Thus, differing nature of fertility due to c apillary rise a nd in depth to water table is present. some places there will be problem of water logging.

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2. At the same time, the zone and S amon a lluvial pl ain. If t he with the w ater t able of l ess t han 7.5 recharges b y i rrigation r eturn w ater feet s hows an oblong s hape ha ving and surface drainage in surplus amount, the s hallowest p lace at Minsu a nd the water t able r ise upwards an d i t Kobin a nd t rending northwest- will probably cause the damage to the southeast direction. A t t he nor thern fertility of soil. part of the area at the village tracts of 4. A ssuming that w ater table Thindaung- a z one o f s imilar n ature lowers 5 f eet de pth a t s ummer, the has be en not ed. In t his area i f the zone ha ving w ater table l ess t han 5 capillarity rises u p to its ma ximum feet at t he en d o f r ainy s eason w ill limit, it will possibly be carrying salts have t he water table l ying less t han upwards and ha rmful t o s urface 10 feet depth . Thus, the village tracts condition. of M insu a nd K obin ha ve m uch 3. I f t he w ater t able lowers tendency to d eteriorate t he s oil down w ith 5 feet f rom t he highest fertility d ue to th e f luctuation of position ( i.e. M insu and K obin) t he water table for the whole year (Figure resultant zone forms as that of Panlaung 5.1).

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

Source: Field survey 154 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

CONCLUSION surface w ater b ody an d s wamps are found. Kyaukse ar ea, l ying i n the eastern pe riphery of dry z one of Hence, i t has t o summarize Myanmar i s insufficient in natural and g eneralize t hat w ater l ogging water r esources. If t he underground problem e xists in topographically water can b e u sed as an alternative depressed area an d l ocally i n t hese source, i t w ill s olve t he pr oblem of areas of s hallow u nderlying w ater water insufficiency i n the ar ea. T o table which may hi nder t he h ealthy attain such o bjective, i t i s n ecessary growth of c rops c ontamination by to know t he na ture of unde rground pesticides an d pollutants f rom water o ccurrence, w ater table c ondition industrial s ites can be ex pected in and its related problems. such ar ea as K yaukse p lain w here water table lies shallow. Physical characteristics of the area i.e. ar ea l ying i n t he K yaukse Measurement of w ater t able plain pr oper which t he pr esent s tudy was pe rformed a t 30 vi llages during is solely p aid much a ttention to summer an d at the e nd of rainy indicates th at th e water n eeds are season. Thus, the range of fluctuation very i mportant for t he development is about 10 feet. Thus, i t has also to of the area. conclude that the above said physical deterioration w ill be e ncountered a t The el evation o f t he w ater places w here water ta ble lie s within table g radually l owers t owards t he 10 feet depth. north-northwest direction. Based upon t he peculiar The ar eas of cl osely spaced nature of the underground water table water t able co ntour are r egarded as and other characteristics of the water recharge area of the aquifer. table aquifer, it is recommended that This unu sual na ture of future r ational planning for w ater gradient ch anges m ay b e d ue t o t he resources utilization s hould be m ade heterogeneous na ture of aquifer o r for s ustainable development of the shallow unde rlying of bur ied r ock area. body or pr esence of s ome t opo- graphically elevated ar eas i n al luvial plain. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The ar eas w here t he s hallow First and f oremost, I a m water table (6-10 feet) lies are found indebted t o D r Khin M aung Oo at D andaing, Peleze, T azoe , M inzu (Rector, Yadanabon University, Amarapura and Ingon vi llages. I n this a rea of Township) w ho ha s supported to shallow water table position which is attend i n t his c onference. M y deep less than 1 0 f eet, the o ccurrence o f gratitude i s e xtended t o D r Maung Maung N aing ( Pro-Rector, Y adanabon 155 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

University) f or hi s s incere coope- in Semi Arid Climate : Some ration. A nd also I would like to Result of the HAPEX Sahel express my s pecial g ratitude t o D r Hydronamic Survey (Niger), Than T han W in, P rofessor, H ead of Journal of Hydrology. Geography D epartment, Yadanabon Coffey and Partners Pty Ltd. University f or he r g uides and Foundation testing Report of permission. I am al ways deepest Myanmar Farm Machinery thank to D r M aung T hin ( Rtd., Factory Ingon Kyaukse Rector, Dagon University and Yangon), Township, 2000. for his teaching and guides. Davis, S. N., and DeWeist, R. J. M., 1966. Hydrogeology. John Wiley & Sons, Incs., New BIBLIOGRAPHY York, NY. Durey, L. W., 1986. An Assessment Amsterdam, Oxford, New York. of Hydrology and Geology in Hydrologic Summary, 2005. the Dry Zone, Central Burma. Meteorology and Hydrologic Engineering Geology (2) Office Department. Mandalay, 2000. Union of Aung Ba UD, 1965. Geology and Myanmar Ministry of ground water resources of Agriculture an Irrigation, Kyaukse and Parts of Meikthila Irrigation Department. District. Burma Geological Gundogdu, K. S. Predation and Department. Agricultural Zone Interpretation of Groundwater and Cultivable crops in Maps using Geographical Myanmar. Land Use Information System (Arc/Info). Bureau,1994. Univ. of Uldag, Faculty of Agr. Ben Whitfield and Fay Lewim 2000. Eng. Dept. Bursa, Turkey. Woodanilling Groundwater Hails, J. R., 1977. Applied Study. Agriculture Western Geomorphology. Elsevier Australia And Fay Lewis Scientific Publishing Company, Consulting. Ivanitsin, M. M., 1962. Groundwater Burma Gazetteer (Kyaukse District), of Burma and Perspectives of Volume A. Thein, M. L., and their Use. Burma Geological San Thu, 1984. Ground water Department. in Burma, Applied Geology Ivanitsin, M. M., 1962. Preliminary Department. Tube well data, Project of Hydrogeological 2005. Rural Water Supply Investigation in the Dry Zone of Division; Water Resources Burma, . Burma Geological Department. Department. Christian Leduc, John Bromley and Keller, E. A., 1984. Environmental Pierre Schroeter, 1997. Water Geology. Fifth Edition. Merril, table Fluctuation and Recharge New York, NY. 156 Volume 2, Number 2, July-December 2014

Landuse in Kyaukse Township, Reinvestigation of Kyaukse- 2005. Kyaukse City Belin-Dattaw Area, Mandalay Development Committee. Division. Private Circulation. Maung Thein and Soe Win, 1970. Soil and Landuse Survey of The Metamorphic Petrology, Kyaukse Districts. Stewart Structure and Mineral Settlement Officer, No.111 party (1925). Resources of the Shantaung-U- Todd, D. K., 1980. Groundwater Thandawmywet Range, Hydrology. Second Edition. Kyaukse District: Union of John Wiley & Sons. Burma Jour. Science and Valdiya, K.S., 1987. Environmental Technology: Vol 3, Nr. 3. Geology. McGraw Hill. Water Myint Thein, Bo San and Myint Wells, 2005. Kyaukse City Thein, 1984. A Geological Development Committee.

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