Monitoring land deformation due to groundwater extraction using Sentinel-1 satellite images: a case study from Chapai Nawabgonj, Bangladesh

Remote sensing provides a much more cost-effective and less time consuming alternative way to monitor land deformation than the traditional methods. In this study, land deformation changes in the Chapai Nawabgonj area of Bangladesh have been mapped using InSAR data acquired by the Sentinel-1 satellite between 2018 and 2019. The deformation rate was compared with two boreholes monitored by the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA). Significant ground deformation has been found in agreement with the field-level hydraulic head changes in the boreholes in the different time frames in the study area. K-means algorithm was applied to visualize clusters in a map to understand the subsidence rate in the area better. Subsidence was found in the summer, which indicates the decrease in water level, and uplift was found in the winter, which indicates the increase in water level.