Groundwater Quality Management in Kerala

There is growing concern throughout India about the contamination of groundwater as a result of geogenic and human activ ities. In India, groundwater resources are being utilized for drinking, irrigation and ind ustrial purposes. The groundwater is estimated to provide about 80 percent of water for domestic use in rural areas and about 50 percent of water for urban and industrial areas. With the rapid growth in population, urbanization, industrialization and other developme ntal activities, groundwater resources have become vulnerable to depletion and quality degradation. The causes of groundwater contamination include use, spillage, or disposal of pesticides, fertilizers, petroleum hydrocarbons, industrial chemicals, and waste produ cts. The contamination can also result from geologic sources and changes in the exi sting land use. The importance of groundwater as a resource to the nation cannot be o verstated. Kerala is strongly dependent upon groundwater and has considerable value both for its economic and social uses (i.e. drinking water, water supply system, agr iculture, industry, and recreation), and for its role in maintaining a range of ecosystems a t the surface and below ground. The contamination of groundwater can have adverse effects on these uses, ultimately leading, as water quality deteriorates, to the groundwater b eing unable to support or maintain these beneficial uses. In most cases this degradati on is irreversible. Remediation is very expensive and is often unsuccessful. Consequently, adequate protection of groundwater quality must be a primary aim. Groundwater and surf ace water are often closely linked, and changes to quality or quantity in one resource frequently creates an impact on the other. Groundwater contributes to streams, lakes an d wetlands, and is particularly significant in maintaining these surface water ecos ystems in dry periods. Furthermore, surface water quality can affect groundwater qualit y through seepage and where surface water directly enters groundwater. Protection of su rface water quality is often considered to be of paramount importance because impacts of contamination or poor water quality are readily observed. However, given the value of g roundwater to the nation and the connections between surface water and groundwater, protection of the quality of groundwater should be given at least equal prominen ce to that of surface water. Additionally, there is a need for a greater awarene ss of groundwater, its key role in supporting a range of economic, social and environmental values, its significance in the hydrological cycle, and the need to protect these v aluable but invisible resources.