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ABOUT THE COURSE:Groundwater is a critical resource that sustains ecosystems, supports agriculture, and provides drinking water to billions of people worldwide. It plays a central role in achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those focused on water security. However, rapid groundwater extraction and contamination, potentially exacerbated by climate change, have placed immense pressure on this vital resource. If not properly managed, over-extraction and contamination can result in severe consequences, including declining water tables, saltwater intrusion, and deteriorating water quality. This underscores the urgent need for sustainable groundwater management to ensure long-term water security.This course offers a comprehensive understanding of groundwater systems, with a strong emphasis on practical approaches to sustainability. Key topics include the impacts of climate change, sustainability indicators, and strategies such as Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), aquifer rejuvenation, and mitigation. Special attention is given to emerging contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), fluoride, and chromium.Students will also gain hands-on exposure to groundwater modeling techniques for predicting future water availability and assessing climate change impacts. The course further integrates policy frameworks, governance strategies, and community-based approaches essential for effective groundwater conservation in both urban and agricultural contexts. Several case studies conducted by the instructor at various sites will be presented to enrich learning.INTENDED AUDIENCE: Civil Engineering /Water Resources Management/ Mining Engineering / Water Resources Engineering / Environmental Engineering / Geotechnical Engineering / Geology / Applied Geology / Geography / Environmental Science/Engineering / ManagementPREREQUISITES: 12th Std Maths, Physics, ChemistryINDUSTRY SUPPORT: Construction/Geotechnical Companies, Environmental Consultancy Companies, ONGC, Groundwater Exploration Consultants, EIA Consultants
Syllabus
Week 1:Fundamentals of Groundwater Systems and TheirImportance: Role of groundwater as a key resource forwater security, a critical resource for climate resilience andsustainability; Global groundwater uses and over-extraction;Its role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).
Week 2:Groundwater Flow and Aquifer Properties: Basicconcepts; groundwater balance; Fundamentals ofgroundwater movement; Types of aquifers, its storageproperties, Case Studies
Week 3:Hydrochemistry and Groundwater Quality: Chemicalcomposition of groundwater; Hydrochemical facies;Interpretation techniques; Contaminants such as: Fluoride,Radionuclide, chromium, etc., and their natural vs.anthropogenic influences on hydro geochemistry; Casestudies
Week 4:Groundwater Recharge and Sustainable AquiferRejuvenation: Natural recharge mechanisms and their rolein groundwater sustainability. Managed Aquifer Recharge(MAR); Aquifer rejuvenation approaches for overexploitedregions; Case studies in arid and semi-arid regions.
Week 5:Groundwater Contamination and Risk ManagementSources and mechanisms of groundwater contamination, itstransportation through subsurface formations; Organicpollutants and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) ingroundwater; Advanced tools for monitoring andremediation. Case studies: Strategies for pollutionprevention and risk assessment.
Week 6:Saltwater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers: Principle,Causes, and consequences of coastal aquifer dynamicsAdaptive management strategies to control SWI; Regionalcase studies: Managing saltwater intrusion in deltaic andcoastal aquifers.
Week 7:Isotopes in Groundwater StudiesIntroduction to isotope hydrology; Applications ingroundwater age dating and recharge estimation. Usingisotopic tracers to identify contamination sources and aquiferconnectivity. Case studies: Isotope hydrology in sustainablegroundwater management
Week 8:Groundwater Modeling for Sustainable ManagementOverview of groundwater models: Conceptual, analytical,and numerical. Introduction to FEFLOW and its applicationsin groundwater resource planning. Predictive modeling forcontaminant transport and SWI management. Case studies:Using models to assess groundwater sustainability underclimate change.
Week 9:Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions and EcosystemServices Interdependence of groundwater and surfacewater systems; Groundwater’s role in sustaining wetlands,rivers, and biodiversity. Groundwater-dependent ecosystemsand conservation strategies. Case studies
Week 10:Urban and Agricultural Groundwater ManagementChallenges of groundwater use in urban settings.Sustainable groundwater use in agriculture; Community basedgroundwater conservation initiatives Case studies:Groundwater sustainability solutions in rural and urbanenvironments.
Week 11:Governance, Policy, and Institutional FrameworksLegal and regulatory aspects of groundwater management.Water rights, groundwater ownership, and policy challenges.Global case studies: Successful policy interventions forgroundwater sustainability.
Week 12:Future Challenges and Innovations in GroundwaterManagement : Climate change impacts on groundwateravailability and quality. Innovations in groundwaterconservation and governance. Formulating policy, andcommunity participation for long-term solutions. Case studydiscussions and the future of sustainable groundwatermanagement.
Week 2:Groundwater Flow and Aquifer Properties: Basicconcepts; groundwater balance; Fundamentals ofgroundwater movement; Types of aquifers, its storageproperties, Case Studies
Week 3:Hydrochemistry and Groundwater Quality: Chemicalcomposition of groundwater; Hydrochemical facies;Interpretation techniques; Contaminants such as: Fluoride,Radionuclide, chromium, etc., and their natural vs.anthropogenic influences on hydro geochemistry; Casestudies
Week 4:Groundwater Recharge and Sustainable AquiferRejuvenation: Natural recharge mechanisms and their rolein groundwater sustainability. Managed Aquifer Recharge(MAR); Aquifer rejuvenation approaches for overexploitedregions; Case studies in arid and semi-arid regions.
Week 5:Groundwater Contamination and Risk ManagementSources and mechanisms of groundwater contamination, itstransportation through subsurface formations; Organicpollutants and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) ingroundwater; Advanced tools for monitoring andremediation. Case studies: Strategies for pollutionprevention and risk assessment.
Week 6:Saltwater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers: Principle,Causes, and consequences of coastal aquifer dynamicsAdaptive management strategies to control SWI; Regionalcase studies: Managing saltwater intrusion in deltaic andcoastal aquifers.
Week 7:Isotopes in Groundwater StudiesIntroduction to isotope hydrology; Applications ingroundwater age dating and recharge estimation. Usingisotopic tracers to identify contamination sources and aquiferconnectivity. Case studies: Isotope hydrology in sustainablegroundwater management
Week 8:Groundwater Modeling for Sustainable ManagementOverview of groundwater models: Conceptual, analytical,and numerical. Introduction to FEFLOW and its applicationsin groundwater resource planning. Predictive modeling forcontaminant transport and SWI management. Case studies:Using models to assess groundwater sustainability underclimate change.
Week 9:Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions and EcosystemServices Interdependence of groundwater and surfacewater systems; Groundwater’s role in sustaining wetlands,rivers, and biodiversity. Groundwater-dependent ecosystemsand conservation strategies. Case studies
Week 10:Urban and Agricultural Groundwater ManagementChallenges of groundwater use in urban settings.Sustainable groundwater use in agriculture; Community basedgroundwater conservation initiatives Case studies:Groundwater sustainability solutions in rural and urbanenvironments.
Week 11:Governance, Policy, and Institutional FrameworksLegal and regulatory aspects of groundwater management.Water rights, groundwater ownership, and policy challenges.Global case studies: Successful policy interventions forgroundwater sustainability.
Week 12:Future Challenges and Innovations in GroundwaterManagement : Climate change impacts on groundwateravailability and quality. Innovations in groundwaterconservation and governance. Formulating policy, andcommunity participation for long-term solutions. Case studydiscussions and the future of sustainable groundwatermanagement.
Taught by
Prof. Elango Lakshmanan
Reviews
5.0 rating, based on 1 Class Central review
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Excellent course for everyone interested in groundwater and sustainability. This course deals with almost everything related to groundwater sustainability in a very simple way.