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Natural Recharge Measurements in the Hard Rock Regions of Semi-Arid India Using Tritium Injection — A Review

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Estimation of Natural Groundwater Recharge

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIC,volume 222))

Abstract

Hard rocks cover about 66 % of the land area of India. They are mainly located in the semi-arid tropical belt characterised by seasonal (monsoonal) precipitation. The main rock types are Granites and Basalt and the corresponding soil types are Alfisols and Vertisols.

Natural recharge to phreatic aquifers of this region has been estimated in the case of several large basins (area 500 Sq. Km. and more) and two watersheds (area around 50 Sq. Km.) using the Tritium injection technique. Tritium was injected at representative sites before onset of monsoon and the displacement of Tritium peak and variation of moisture content in vertical soil profiles collected in post-monsoon period were used for determining spot values of recharge due to precipitation. The average recharge values show a range from almost nil to about 100 mm depending upon the soil type, temperature, rainfall amount and pattern, hydrogeological conditions etc.

The data for various basins is presented and evaluated. Some general features emerging from these measurements, conducted during the last ten years, are recapitulated.

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© 1988 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Athavale, R.N., Rangarajan, R. (1988). Natural Recharge Measurements in the Hard Rock Regions of Semi-Arid India Using Tritium Injection — A Review. In: Simmers, I. (eds) Estimation of Natural Groundwater Recharge. NATO ASI Series, vol 222. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7780-9_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7780-9_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-8444-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-7780-9

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