Nature of Groundwater occurrence in hard rock terrain: Kerala, India

Kerala state on the south western corner of the Indian peninsula is experiencing a tropical climate with av. Annual rainfall of 3000 mm being received from both South west and North East rain falls. Rainy season generally starts from June onwards every year and ends in the month of November with a small break during September- October. During April to May most of the wells and streams become dry and the entire country witness drinking water crisis. Inspite of the fact that there is a considerably long spell of rainy season, the country is witnessing such a severe shortage of water during summer. This state of affairs is examined in this work. It is a fact that the landform features and geological conditions are against the sustainable preservation of water resources of the country. Identification of suitable groundwater potential zones in Kerala terrain become cumbersome because of the above constrains. Following pages of this work deals with the application of remote sensing and GIS for Groundwater exploration in Vamanapuram River basin, Kerala. We hope that the strategies being followed here can be used in similar physiographic and geological conditions elsewhere.