Groundwater is the major source of domestic water in most of the inhabited islands of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. Groundwater occurs as thin freshwater lens floating over saline water. There is remarkable temporal variation in the thickness and areal extent of the freshwater lens, depending on contributory factors of which the mode of groundwater draft, diurnal tidal fluctuation, and the intensity & distribution of rainfall are of significance. In some of the very small islands, the freshwater lens is almost absent except during the rainy season. The islands are made of highly porous coral sand as topsoil, forming the aquifer material, resulting in almost entire rainfall on the ground percolating down, with negligible surface runoff even during intense rainfall. Thus there is not much scope for traditional artificial recharge into groundwater. Instead, direct harvesting of rainwater and conservation will reduce the stress on the fresh groundwater lens. The paper discusses the groundwater occurrence, resource availability in each of these Islands, its development prospects, and viable water conservation methods for freshwater sustainability.
Water Resources Development and Conservation in Lakshadweep Islands, India
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Groundwater is the major source of domestic water in most of the inhabited islands of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. Groundwater occurs as thin freshwater lens floating over saline water. There is remarkable temporal variation in the thickness and areal extent of the freshwater lens, depending on contributory factors of which the mode of groundwater draft, diurnal tidal fluctuation, and the intensity & distribution of rainfall are of significance. In some of the very small islands, the freshwater lens is almost absent except during the rainy season. The islands are made of highly porous coral sand as topsoil, forming the aquifer material, resulting in almost entire rainfall on the ground percolating down, with negligible surface runoff even during intense rainfall. Thus there is not much scope for traditional artificial recharge into groundwater. Instead, direct harvesting of rainwater and conservation will reduce the stress on the fresh groundwater lens. The paper discusses the groundwater occurrence, resource availability in each of these Islands, its development prospects, and viable water conservation methods for freshwater sustainability.
Publication Mode |
Online |
---|---|
Publication Author |
K. Md. Najeeb, N. Vinayachandran, K. Balakrishnan |
Publication Language |
English |
Publication Type |
Conference Paper |
Publication Year |
2021 |
DOI |
10.17491/cgsi/2021/165444 |
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