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Land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal in Arak plain, Markazi province, Iran

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Abstract

With current trends of groundwater exploitation, the plains of Iran have been facing numerous problems, where subsidence is considered as the foremost obstacle. In the present study, the principle aim was to analyze the level of groundwater and induced subsidence effects in different regions of Arak plain from 2002 to 2008. Arak plain located in Meyghan Lake basin is subjected to subsidence process as a result of the declining groundwater levels. Monthly variations of groundwater levels were plotted using ArcGIS software. The results indicated declining water levels especially in Meyghan Lake than the Arak plains, resulting up to 36 m of drop in the groundwater levels of marginal areas in the plains during these years.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Markazi Water Regional Authority for their data and Mr. M. Mohammadi Ghaleni and Mr. Mottaghi for their assistance in preparing GIS Maps. We would also like to show our gratitude to the three anonymous reviewers for comments and useful suggestions that greatly improved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ali M. Rajabi.

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Rajabi, A.M., Ghorbani, E. Land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal in Arak plain, Markazi province, Iran. Arab J Geosci 9, 738 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-016-2753-7

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