Groundwater in the Peninsular Indian Shield: A Framework for Rational Assessment

The population of peninsular India relies heavily on groundwater for drinking purposes, agriculture and industrial needs. Critical to the well-being of this population is the judicious exploitation of this vital resource. India has made significant investments of physical resources and trained man-power over the past four decades towards a systematic exploration and development of groundwater resources. This goal will be greatly facilitated by directing the overall planning of these activities on the basis of a framework that is specific to the physico-chemical process that govern the hydrogeologic conditions of peninsular India. Competing with this need is the equally important need of providing the minimal requirements of clean water in critical regions of deficiency. The challenge is to formulate a plan that balances the two objectives in a complementary, winning manner. From a technical view point, very little attention has so far been devoted in peninsular India to the understanding of the vadose zone that spans the region between the land surface and the flucluating water table. A quantitative knowledge of the dynamics of water storage and release from this zone is of paramount importance to the management of groundwater resources in the peninsular Indian shields. The hydrogeology of peninsular India can offer exciting intellectual challenges to students of natural sciences.