Uncorrected Proof 1 © 2021 The Authors Water Science & Technology | in press | 2021 Experimental study on infiltration pattern: opportunities for sustainable management in the Northern region of India Vikram Kumar, Barkha Chaplot, Padam Jee Omar, Shaktibala S. and H. Md. Azamathulla ABSTRACT The infiltration process plays a key role in designing groundwater recharge, irrigation, and drainage Vikram Kumar Gaya College of Engineering, systems, and contamination evaluation is controlled by numerous factors, among which soil physical Gaya, Bihar 823003, India properties and land use & land cover (LULC) are the prime factors. A comprehensive understanding of the spatial water infiltration characteristics over the soil which is site-specific and more complex Barkha Chaplot (corresponding author) M J K College, BRA Bihar University, due to non-uniformity could enhance the agriculture water use efficiency and mitigate water-related Bettiah, Bihar 845438, India issues. The present study deals with the measurement of field infiltration characteristics using a mini E-mail:
[email protected] fi disc in ltrometer in all 24 blocks of Gaya districts, Bihar, which covers a wide spectrum of soil types. Padam Jee Omar Results showed that the average cumulative infiltration rate (IR) for the study area varies between Motihari College of Engineering, Motihari, Bihar 845401, 0.38 and 2.20 cm/min with an average rate of 1.16 cm/min. The initial IR among all blocks was found India to be high but decreased gradually with each successive reading. Moreover, the land use under Shaktibala S. Independent Researcher and Ex-Faculty, forest cumulative IR was more than the cumulative IR for urban and grassland.