Assessment of Groundwater Resources and Management

The hydrogeological aspect of groundwater science is universal and applied in nature to have a sustainable water resource development with social, economic, ecological, cultural and aesthetic background. Since 99% of the world's fresh available water is groundwater; yet, the majority of financial resources are directed to surface water found in rivers and lakes. This serious imbalance requires urgent redress. This volume is addresses the issue to facilitate the joint analysis of groundwater management studies and problems faced by scientist, engineers, managers and other scholars from natural and applied sciences. Significant financial support is required for basic groundwater research if sustainable development is to be a realistic goal. As a fresh water resource, groundwater has major advantages over surface water. This is the basic idea that explicitly appears in almost all paper of this book. The authors have tried to focus their task on those topics that seemed to us more urgent and relevant and have paid much attention to questions related to management of aquifers, groundwater pollution, the long-term problems and the key issues in developing countries, where majority of world population live and where at present enormous groundwater abstraction occurs. We (editors) have dissipated proper information in a systematic scientific manner to make the concept of groundwater management and sustainability understandable to everyone, through this book. The book provides a platform to bring together earth scientists, professionals from chemical and engineering science disciplines, public health professionals and social scientists involved with the management and development of groundwater resources. The book is expected to reflect the current understanding of all the issues related to management of groundwater resources and their sustainable use.