Geoenvironmental effects of groundwater regime in Andhra Pradesh, India

The Indian subcontinent has the largest semi-arid tropical (SAT) area among developing nations. The State of Andhra Pradesh falls under the SAT region in India and is mostly covered by compact and hard rocks, characterized by seasonal rainfall of a highly fluctuating nature, in both space and time. As a consequence of the green revolution and an increase in industrial acti vity, there has been an increase in the utilization of groundwater resource s during the last two decades in Andhra Pradesh. The development has also c aused a number of problems, such as water table decline, decrease in well y ields and seawater intrusion. Although major irrigation projects have contr ibuted to improved agricultural production, the associated problems of wate rlogging, salinization and loss of valuable bioresources have led to the gr adual degradation of the land, affecting agricultural productivity. Surface water and groundwater have also been polluted in several parts of the Stat e because of the untreated discharge of effluents from the industries into nearby streams or open lands. A brief account of the overall scenario of th e hydrogeological framework and geo-environmental effects on the groundwate r regime in Andhra Pradesh is presented. Possible management practices and conservation methods are suggested.