3. Hydrogeological Investigations

The purpose of most hydrogeological investigations is to locate potential sites for development of adequate quantity of reasonably good quality groundwater for a particular use: domestic, irrigation or industrial etc. The quantity and quality criteria would depend on the local needs and the socio-economic conditions of the people. Alternative possible sources of water supply, e.g. import of surface water or groundwater from adjoining areas may also be considered. Further, hydrogeological investigations in fractured rocks are also taken up for the selection of suitable sites for waste disposal including radioactive waste, tapping of geothermal power and in several other geotechnical problems, viz. tunnelling, mining, hill slope stability etc. These include geological, geomorphological, geohydrological studies given in this chapter. Besides, remote sensing and geophysical studies are described in Chaps. 4 and 5, hydraulic properties and methods of aquifer characterisation are discussed in Chaps. 8–9, and tracer techniques are described in Chap. 10.