Abstract:
Nearly two thirds of the Indian sub-continent is occupied by the hard rocks. These hard rocks have no primary porosity and occurrence and movement of ground water is mainly confined to the weathered mantle, fractures and joints underlying it. Greater portion of the hard rock area comes under the semi-arid
region where droughts are a common feature. Management of ground water resources in such a situation, requires a good knowledge of the hydrogeological setting and knowledge of the water bearing capacities of rock occurring in the area.
The paper presents the descriptive aspects of various rock types in relation to occurrence of ground water, potential available and status of development in the four southern states and suggests management strategy required to be adopted for the optimal development of the ground water resource for the socio-economic development of the area.
