Purna River Pirated by a Lineament and Converted its Path into Paleochannel

Abstract A paleochannel of the Purna River basins in the basaltic terrain in the proximity of the village- Daher, and Uga, in Subir Taluka, in the Dang district of Gujarat was discovered by the first author. The discovery of paleochannel is based on a study of satellite imagery, the presence of perennial water springs, and the presence of dense trees with green leaves during summer close to the Purna River. With the help of satellite imagery and ground check, a lineament wasdiscovered near the Purna River paleochannel, which was later renamed as village Girmal- Pipalpada lineament, after the village in which it was found. The total length of this lineament is approximately 22km and the Purna River flows through this lineament for about 1.4km,the Purna River is pirated by this lineament. Due to this piracy of the Purna River, its crescent-shaped old path with the passage of time was converted into a paleochannel. The paleo course of the river is clearly visible in the satellite imagery. This paleo river channel is a good site for sustainable groundwater sources. Presently two open wells are dug in this paleochannel supplying water to four villages. Surprisingly,there is very less depletion of pumping water level (PWL) in the well because of the continuous charging of open wells by this paleochannel.