Affiliations: BRGM, Water Department, 1039 rue de Pinville 34000
Montpellier, France | National Geophysical Research Institute Indo-French
Centre for Groundwater Research Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007, India | 28bis rue de l'Eglise, 77760 Ury, France | BRGM, 11 allé de la Providence La Gibauderie,
86000 Poitiers, France | BRGM, Indo-French Centre for Groundwater Research
National Geophysical Research Institute Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007,
India
Abstract: In the absence of available surface water in semi-arid areas,
groundwater has become the main water resource for various purposes. In many
places in southern India, groundwater even is the only source of drinking water
in rural areas. Therefore, quality and quantity aspects of groundwater
management constitute acute issues for the well-being of Indian rural
populations. This study proposes to use borewells drilled by farmers for
irrigation purposes in order to assess the quality and quantity of available
groundwater. A very accurate map of the water table and its variations was
drawn and zones of water table depletion were compared to water pumping
locations. Overexploitation is quantified at the watershed scale. Quantity is
associated with quality. A groundwater electrical conductivity map reveals
highly mineralized groundwater near the villages, and pollution plumes
downgradient of the main inhabited areas. The absence of sewage or solid waste
collection and treatment facilities threatens groundwater quality by increasing
its chloride content, even in such small rural villages. The overall analyses
indicate increasing risk for sustainability of groundwater resources. At the
regional scale, salinisation of groundwater due to irrigation practices is
suspected.
Keywords: Groundwater, water table, overexploitation, electrical conductivity, chloride, irrigation
