Groundwater of South Asia

This book presents recent findings from the South Asian region (SA), broadly including groundwater studies on (a) quantity, (b) exploration, (c) quality and pollution, (d) economics, management and policies, (e) groundwater and society, and (f) sustainable sources. It offers a compilation of compelling, authentic insights into groundwater scenarios throughout the water-stressed South Asia region. Comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, it is the most densely populated region in the world: It occupies approximately 4% of the global land area but supports more than 25% of the global population. The SA region now faces an acute shortage of fresh water due to a rapid rise in water demand and changes in societal water-use patterns. Combining essential advances and perspectives, this book offers a valuable resource for all scientists, planners and policymakers who are interested in understanding and developing the SA and other related areas.

Foreword.- Preface.- Overview of Groundwater of South Asia.- Groundwater Availability: Exploration, Storage and Recharge.- Groundwater Quality and Pollution.- Coastal groundwater.- Climate Change and Groundwater.- Groundwater Economics and Management.

Prof. Abhijit Mukherjee, PhD graduated from the University of Kentucky, USA and completed postdoctoral work at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. He also served as the Physical Hydrogeologist at the Alberta Geological Survey in Canada. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Geology and Geophysics, and School of Environmental Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur), India. His main research areas are physical, chemical and isotope hydrogeology, including modeling and contaminant transport, as well as water resource management and the effects of climate change on the hydrosphere. He is a member of the Geological Society of America (GSA), International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), and Indian Science Congress Association. Dr. Mukherjee has over 20 years of teaching and research experience. He leads several international groundwater research consortiums, and has researched in several countries, with emphasis on basin-scale hydrogeology. Among many awards and recognitions, in 2016, he was conferred the National Geoscience Award by the President of India. He is presently the Associate Editor of several journals, including the Journal of Hydrology, Groundwater for Sustainable Development, Frontiers in Environmental Science and Journal of Earth System Science.