Groundwater Development and Management

This book deals with the challenges for efficient groundwater management, with a focus on South Asia and India, providing a balanced presentation of theory and field practice using a multidisciplinary approach. Groundwater of South Asia is increasingly confronted with overuse and deteriorating quality and therefore requires urgent attention. Management of the stressed groundwater systems is an extremely complex proposition because of the intricate hydrogeological set-up of the region. Strategies for sustainable management must involve a combination of supply-side and demand-side measures depending on the regional setting and socio-economic situations. As a consequence, the challenges of efficient groundwater management require not only a clear understanding of the aquifer configuration, but also demand for the development of a comprehensive database of the groundwater occurrences and flow systems in each hydrogeological setting. In addition, drilling and well construction methods that are appropriate to different hydrogeological formations need to be implemented as well as real-time monitoring of the status of the groundwater use. Also corrective measures for groundwater that is threatened with depletion and quality deterioration need to be installed. Finally, the legal framework of groundwater needs to be rearticulated according to the common property aspect of groundwater. These challenges should revolve around effective groundwater governance by creating an atmosphere to support and empower community-based systems of decision-making and revisit the existing legal framework and groundwater management institutions by fostering community initiatives.

This book is relevant for academics, professionals, administrators, policy makers, and economists concerned with various aspects of groundwater science and management.

Auteur

Professor Pradip K. Sikdar received his education at the University of Calcutta, India (Geology/Hydrogeology) and the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK (Integrated Coastal Zone Management). A teacher by profession and hydrogeologist by education, he was a Senior Scientist and Executive Secretary at the Centre for Study of Man and Environment, Kolkata and a Lecturer at the Department of Applied Geology, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad before joining the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management at the Department of Environment Management in 2000. Currently as a Professor at the Department of Environment Management he is actively engaged in research and teaching of groundwater hydrology and environmental impact assessment. He has over 28 years of experience in project management and implementation, field and research work of groundwater systems including application of computer models in scientific evaluation of hydrogeologic systems, groundwater resources development and protection. He also provides technical and management advice on a wide range of subjects dealing with watershed management, natural resource development and environmental management issues to industries, consultant groups and NGOs. He is currently active in arsenic research and his primary interest in arsenic is to explain the spatial distribution of As-pollution in the groundwater of the Bengal Basin. His present research also deals with the sustainability of water supply in the fluoride affected and semi-arid regions of West Bengal and the design of groundwater abstraction structures.

Contenu
Chapter 1: Problems and Challenges for Groundwater Management in South Asia - Pradip K. Sikdar
Chapter 2: Problems and Challenges for Groundwater Management in India - Dipankar Saha
Chapter 3: Modelling of Aquifer Systems - Tapan Talukdar
Chapter 4: Application of Geophysical Techniques in Groundwater Management - Bimalendu B. Bhattacharya
Chapter 5: Application of Remote Sensing and GIS - Surajit Chakraborty
Chapter 6: Application of Environmental Isotopes - Sudhir Kumar
Chapter 7: Development and Management of Coastal Aquifer Systems - Subrata Halder
Chapter 8: Spring Protection and Management - Jared Buono
Chapter 9: Drilling, Well Construction and Well Development - Asish Charkraborty
Chapter 10: Pumping Test for Aquifers: Analysis and Evaluation - Pradip K. Sikdar
Chapter 11: Fluoride Pollution in Groundwater - Paulami Sahu
Chapter 12: Arsenic Pollution in Groundwater - John M. McArthur
Chapter 13: Arsenic Contaminated Irrigation Water and Its Impact on the Food Chain - Saroj Kumar Sanyal
Chapter 14: Human Health Hazards Due to Arsenic and Fluoride Contamination in Drinking Water and the Food Chain - Gautam Ghosh
Chapter 15: Treatment of Arsenic and Fluoride Contaminated Groundwater - Arunabha Majumdar
Chapter 16: Impact of Climate Change and Groundwater - Rajib Chattopadhyay
Chapter 17: Rainwater Harvesting and Artificial Recharging - Ajoy Kumar Misra
Chapter 18: Development and Management of Baseflow for Public Water Supply in Semi-Arid Hard Rock Area - Pradip K. Sikdar, Shouri Dutta, Saheb Das, Surajit Chakraborty and Utsab Ghosal
Chapter 19: Groundwater Policies and Law - Tapan Kumar Ray
Chapter 20: Catalysing Peoples' Participation for Groundwater Management - Ayan Biswas
Chapter 21: Way Forward and Future Strategies - Pradip K. Sikdar