A. Sudhakar, Ch. Ramakrishna, Praveen Raj Saxena
This study is concerned with the identification and delineation of aquiferous zones for potential groundwater development around Narayankher area and the constraints to effective and sustainable management of underground water in the study area. Traditionally, this has been done by using vertical electrical sounding (VES) surveys. The VES surveys provide comprehensive information for interpreting the structure and extent of subsurface hydro-geological features. The study area water supply for irrigation and domestic uses are mostly from dug wells, of 10 to 15 m depth penetrating the top weathered/fractured zones. Most of the dug wells dry up in the beginning of summer, causing enormous damage to the crops. Increasing demand of water supply can be met from deeper aquifers. In the present study the electrical resistivity method has proved to be useful for identifying deeper aquifers, and each VES sounding extend among 120 m to 150 meters, it is clearly that 40 VES soundings were carried out to cover the total study area. All these soundings are conducted using Schlumberger configuration with a maximum half-distance of current electrode separation (AB/2) equal to 150 m until the sounding curve attained, which is an indication of establishment of contact of volcanic rock with the granite basement. Initially the VES data has been interpreted with master curves and later the interpretation is redefined by using IPI2Win software. These methods provided a more precise hydro-geophysical model for the study area compared to the traditional VES. The results from this study are useful for technical groundwater management as they clearly identified suitable borehole locations for long term groundwater prospecting.
Vertical Electrical Sounding; Groundwater; Geoelectric Section; Aquifer; Resistivity