Assessing groundwater monitoring in the Southern Bari Doab and guidance for strengthening groundwater monitoring across Punjab

As part of the Adapting to Salinity in the Southern Indus Basin (ASSIB) project, significant effort is being expended on developing a groundwater model covering a selected sub-region in Southern Punjab. The groundwater model covers the districts of Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, and the lower part of Vehari, where groundwater depletion and water quality concerns are significant issues. The project aims to understand trends impacting groundwater resource availability, quantify the water balance, and undertake scenarios to assess the risk to groundwater of increasing extractions that are causing declines in groundwater over the long-term. This report provides a brief assessment of the monitoring program undertaken by the Water Resources Zone of the Punjab Irrigation Department (PID) and provides guidance for improving the monitoring of water resources.