Overview of Ground Water Situation in India
Keywords:
Hard-rock aquifers of peninsular India, Alluvial aquifers of the Indo-Gangetic plainsAbstract
Ground water is the water that seeps through rocks and soil and is stored below the ground. The rocks in which ground water is stored are called aquifers. Aquifers are typically made up of gravel, sand, sandstone or limestone. Water moves through these rocks because they have large connected spaces that make them permeable. The area where water fills the aquifer is called the saturated zone. The depth from the surface at which ground water is found is called the water table. The water table can be as shallow as a foot below the ground or it can be a few hundred meters deep. Heavy rains can cause the water table to rise and conversely, continuous extraction of ground water can cause the level to fall.
References
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The cases include Wasim Ahmed Khan v. Govt. of AP, 2002; Mukesh Sharma v. Allahabad Nagar Nigam & Ors., 2000, and others.
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