Numerical modelling of groundwater flow in Medipalli open cast mine area, Telangana, India
Student name: Mr Parsa Santhosh Madhav Chandra
Guide: Ms Ranjana Ray Chaudhuri
Year of completion: 2017
Host Organisation: National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Anupma Sharma
Abstract: Sustainable groundwater management is a worldwide challenge. Numerical modelling is one such
tool which addresses this challenge. Regional scale modelling of groundwater flow is necessary
for planning and management of groundwater resources. The aim of the study is to numerically
model the groundwater flow in Medapalli Open cast block area. Medapalli Open Cast Block is a
coal mine operating under Singareni Collieries Company Limited SCCL in Telangana, India. It is
spread across and lies near river Godavari. The observation well locations and depth to water
level data are collected from SCCL. A finite-difference based groundwater flow model is developed
in Visual MODFLOW using MODFLOW-2005 code with forty conceptual layers and with a total
thickness of 240 m. The model is constructed based on the geological and spatial data of the study
area. The model calibration is performed at steady state conditions through trial and error method.
In addition to this, a solute transport model is developed using MT3DMS code at steady state
conditions. The results indicate that the computed water table values fairly match the observed
water table values and the simulated flow direction is towards the river Godavari, in accordance
with the field conditions and following the general topography of the region. The solute, i.e. (TDS)
migration extends up to a maximum distance of 168 m along the periphery of Medapalli open cast
block towards the river. The study shows that the impact of fly ash deposition in Medapalli Open
cast mine on the groundwater quality in the vicinity of the open pit will be very less and no harmful
effects will be observed as the contaminant levels decrease steeply along the periphery of the mine
and concentration of the plume is reduced sharply.
Keywords: Groundwater flow Model, Visual MODFLOW, Medapalli Open Cast block, solute
transport, Numerical modelling
