Three-Fold Remedial Measures for Groundwater Protection: Case Study of the Khathkari Stream, Pune District, India

Abstract

A vast tract in Maharashtra State of India, constituted of horizontally disposed basaltic flows of Cretaceous-Eocene age, falls in the semi-arid climatic zone characterised by low precipitation and high temperature and evaporation. Such areas are marked by the variety of calcretes including massive, honeycomb, nodular, and powdery types. These calcretes which owe their origin to both pedogenic and nonpedogenic processes, are responsible for imparting the salinity to the groundwater. An integrated approach, involving geological, hydrogeological and hydrochemical studies, has been employed for delineating the boundary of saline and fresh waters in the groundwater system and evaluating the variation in salinity in the area around the Khathkari stream (18 13’ to 18 18’ N latitudes, and 74 13’ to 74 22’E longitudes) in Pune district. The paper briefly presents the data collected during the course of the work and incorporates the three-fold remedial measures such as i) protecting fresh water that occurs at deeper depth, ii) improving the present quality of water and iii) suggesting an appropriate crop-pattern that can stand for present and improved quality of water.