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ABSTRACT

Each and every deltaic plain is a huge reservoir of ground water. But
nearer to coastal tract the plains have no escape from salinity hazards. Same traditional problem
has also encountered in parts of coastal deltaic tract of Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara district,
Orissa. To overcome the problem and to locate a reliable source of water, an integrated
geological and hydrogeologocal investigation has been undertaken on the basis of borehole
records, electrical resistivity log and quality assessment, in parts of coastal deltaic plain of
Mahanadi. (Parts of Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara district, Orissa).

The investigation reveals that the entire area comprises unconsolidated


alluvium (tertiary to recent) of huge thickness (> 400 mts) and lie above the Gondwanas. Two
distinct lithological units a predominantly yellowish sand – clay – gravel sequence (Light
Coloured) and an underlying sequence of greenish grey (fossiliferous & dark coloured) colour
are distinguished. The yellowish sediments are formed under oxidizing shallow depth
environment while the grey- dark sediments are formed under anaerobic, deep-seated
environment. The sand and gravel zones provide intergranular space for storage of groundwater.
Up to 130 mts bgl the ground water occurs under unconfined to semi confined condition and
below it under confined conditions where thick clay layers acts as confining stratum.
Depending upon quality, and disposition, a multilayered aquifer system has been established.
The aquifers are named as I (saline), II (fresh), IIIA (Brackish) where as I (A) is shallow depth
saline aquifer, I (B) is deep saline aquifer, III (A) is brackish. The saline aquifers I (A&B) are
mainly recharged from oceans and at places I(A) recharged from precipitation.. But the fresh
(II) aquifer is mainly recharged at their headland. The brackish water aquifers recharged due to
percolation from near by aquifers.

The saline and fresh aquifers are in alternate sequence and form an
interfinguring figure. The saline aquifers gradually thicken towards east (ocean) & thin toward,
west (continent) and vice versa in case of fresh aquifers. In quality the ground water varies from
fresh brackish saline with chloride content ranging from 32 ppm to greater than 1000 ppm,
other elements are under permissible limits as per ISI standards.

Potentially the area is rich in groundwater but for salinity it is not


potable. So the aquifer-II and shallow fresh aquifers are reliable source for groundwater, which
are exploited by means of dug, open well & deep tube wells. Shallow aquifers are of great
importance in the past. But as the science and technology developed the deep fresh aquifers (II)
are focused, for domestic agricultural & industrial needs. MM-8

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