ee Editors ber Ve Ete Vera sea eed etl ncel ) eel eecliileltr et neal] KellyVertical Electrical Sounding Studies and Groundwater Occurrence in Gokak Taluk, Belgaum District, Karnataka BAY. Nadagouda, A.G. Ugarkar, TK, Lakkundi and K.R. Olekar Department of Studies in Geology: Karnatak University, Dharwad E-mail: nadagoudabv@ rediffmail.com ABSTRACT The area under investigation forms a part of the Ghataprabha Command Area. The ‘reais irrigated bya network of canals for almost eight months from June to January ‘and during the rest ofthe period, irrigation is carried out by means of ug-wels, dug cum bore wellsand bore well. Sugarcane and Maize are the major commercial crops Geologicaly, the areas covered by Deccan Bazalts with inertrapeans characterized by joins, fractures, fissures, vesicles and weathering that faciltare accumulation of ‘grounduvaterin she bast. The area has experienced drastic reduction in grown rable in the lest 90 decades mainly due to nsyfcien precipitation. Neary 50 Ver Electrical Soundings were carried out employing the Schlumberger configuration upto a depth of 200 meters to delineate potential zones of growndater eccurrenee Ten soundings were con resuls with the borehole lithology: The resis matching technique ond the sounding dra, some locaions were recomended fo sounding 1 5 caren teal ring andthe success ra i around 706 The locations where drilling of bore wells not feasible due to poor ‘yields and failures, in such cases, suggestions were made 1o wien the existing well ‘and to dil horizontal bore hols inthe depth range of 15 ~ 20m 0 ast increase the ieldfor aaining self sufficiency. INTRODUCTION Groundwater has assumed special significance in the agricultural development of the country with the advent of green revolution. The development of groundwater therefore has increasedVertical Etecrical Sounding Studies and Groundwater 89 by many folds. Groundwater reserves can be developed in less time and at less cost ané more importantly without eausing too much hxzard tothe environment by keeping the exploitation within permissible limits. Fr such developments, geophysical techniques, electrical resistivity in particular, play a leading role in groundwater exploration. The hard rock terrain of Decean Basalis isnot always easy for targeting groundwater (Narayanpetkar etal, 2006). Hallur (Lat 16240" N and Long. 751030" E) isa village in the Gokak taluk of Belgaum district, Karnataka (Fg. 1. cis located about 25 km north eat of Gokak (Lat. 161015"Nand Long. 74°49'30" E, toposheet No. 47 L116). The area is irrigated by Ghatprabha Left Bank Canal (GLBC) network (Fig. 2) fr almost eight months from June to January. During rest of the perio, irrigation is dependent on groundwater resources from dug wells, dugcum-bore ‘ells and bore wells. Dug wells were the common structures to tap grounvatee til the 1970's and bore wells became popular late. Dug wells have a good yield during the eight-month period of irrigation and go dry or ae por yielding during the rest ofthe perio. The area has experienced drastic reduction in groundwater table in the last two decades mainly due to insufficient precipitation and over-explcitation of groundwater resources. Weathered, fractured tap, zalitc and red bole beds form an aquifer, which is evident fom the presence of large numberof dag ‘wells having large diameter and greater depth up to 100 feet (30 m Fig 1: Location Map ofthe Study Area9 Geoenvironment: Challenges Ahead ‘The present study area forms a part of semi-arid climate experiencing an average annual rainfall of 500mm. The almost continuous failure of the monsoon during the lst wo decades and groundwater over-exploitation has resulted in deterioration of recharge conditions thereby affecting the functioning of dug wells, dug-cum-bore wells and bere wells. Thus, an urgent need has aisen forthe farmers to locate newer groundwater resources, GEOLOGY OF THEAREA Geologicaly, the area comprises of Cretaceous — Tertiary Deccan Basalts (Fig 2), underain by the Proterozoic rocks of the Kaladgis. These basalts are exposed in elevated areas and along nalas, Black cotton soil is found extensively in the low-lying areas (Fig. 3) having a shallow ‘thickness. Red soil mixed with lime kankar is found at some elevated areas. Underneath the soil is the weathered and fractured trap. Below this zone, eccurs a red bole bed and zeolitc trap of| ‘varying thickness. At places, multiple intertrappeans are encountered, Proterozoic sedimentary formations are encountered at few locations beyond 80m (250 ft) below ground level onwards. Fig. 2: Map showing Geology, Drainage Network and CanalsVertical Electcal Sounding Studies and Groundwater 91 +} VESLecatioe ER Benn Fig.3: Soll Map of the Study Area with VES Locations Aquifers in the area are formed by weathered trap, zeolitic basalt with or without red bots, amygdaloidal basalt and jointed and feactured basalts (Fig. 4), Spheroidal weathering of basalt is also noticed in the vertical sections of some open wells. Duting canal irrigation period, dug wells 3 ground level by irrigation recharge (Fig. 5) DATA ACQUISITION AND ANALY A tolal of 0 Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES) using Schlumberger array with maximum AB/ 2 separation of 200m (600 ft) were carried out. Schlumberger electrode arrangement was chosen as it is invariably used throughout the world for groundwater exploration (Nath et al 2006), IGIS make resistivity meter was used in obtaining the ground resistance. The apparent resistivities (p,) were plotted against the electrode spacing (AB/2) ona log-log graph. Apparent resistivity sounding curves were interpreted using curve matching technique (Bhattacharya and Patra, 1968) using Orellana and Mooney master curves. Using the layer parameters so obtained.a Geoenironment: Challenges Ahead the interpretation was further refined by computer aided and iterated interpretation technique known as RESIST (Ayolabi and Oyelayo, 2005). Fig 4: Vertical selection ofan open well showing weathered zone fractured zone along with red bolebed, Red bole bed isshownby the rectangleVersica Electrical Sounding Studies and Groundwater 3 oto showing an open well with shallow water level being rigation-recharged DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ‘The VES curves were interpreted and the results reveal ‘multi — layered earth section at all the locations, The number of layer tion. The numberof three and four layer sequences was maximum, The curves obtained of H, K, KH and KHA type, Total 50 VES studies were carried out and the representative VES is shown as Figur sample dat Sve The computer interpreted results are presented in table I. The first geoelectrc layer has a resistance between 5.8 106.9 2m witha thickness of 2.05.3 ft and is manly composed of soil cover. The second geoelectrc yer of resistance 2.4 ~349.4 Om and thickness of 6.4 - 61.4 ft represents highly weathered to weathered basalt witha red bole bed and zeolitic basal. The resistance of third layer varies from 1.7 ~70.4 Omanda thickness of33~466.594 Geoenvironment: Challenges Ahead fi, which represents aregion ofhighly fractured and jointed trap. The fourth layer is massive basalt devoid of fractures and joints having resistivity ange of 99.4 ~968,6 0m. The depth to ‘weathering encountered during driling (Table 1) closely matches with the interpreted result “Table 1: Computed layer parameters and correlation between computed depth of weathered zone and ‘the actual depth of weathered zone encountered during dling ‘Seiad | Fis ay ‘Segond Layer | Third ayer | Four Tayer | Depihal |v Depiho? No fram? T] om | T |] T [a | T | Weathered| weathered infeet| fm, | infeet | 2m | in eet | am | in feet | Zonet) | zone excountered during diling am Tas | 33 aes | sas [330 oss [oe] R_| 370 360. 2[-s8_[ 42] aera [166 | 1278 [9477] UK| 650 S60. 333-20 Piso set [as [ass [oene | UK| 370 220 ‘4 |- 384-20 [tae 390 [aca] UK| © | uk | eo, 380 3 _[1069-|-24[ 9.4 352 [704] UK [= | UK| 380) S10 6 [-ms_[-25[azt 64 | 17133 [994 | UK | 450, 200, 7 [tio[-33_] 34 [ies P55 OK | © [UK [330 200 —] ‘The thickness of the weathered layer ranges from a shallow 6.4 ft to a deep 61.4 ft In the shallow weathered zone underlained by a massive trap devoid of joints and fractures, itis recommended to drill a number of horizontal bore holes up to a length of 100 ~120 ft at the contact zone. This will help in augmecting quantum of groundwater inthe large diameter open Wells by way of collection of irigstion-recharged water after the closure of canals. in deep ‘weathered zones underlained by a fractured snd jointed tap forming an aquifer. recommendations ‘were made for in-well boreholes (Fig. ). These in-well bore holes increase the yield in the dug, wells. In the areas where there are no open wells, and depending upon favourability recommendations were made for diling bore wells with « depth range of 250 ~ 400 ft (60 ~ 121m). The average yield of bore wells ranges from 500 ~ 3600 gph. In few cases, the yield ‘was as high as 6300 gph. The bore wells encountering jointed end fractured zones at depth have _g00d yield of 3000 gph. Nearly 70 % of recommended bore wells, n-well bore wells are successful ‘with a good yield. ‘On the whole, there is a good correspondence between the resistivity model and bore hole lithology inthe study area, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Authors are thankful to the Chairman, Department of Studies in Geology, Karnatak University,Vertical Electrical Sounding Studies and Groundwater 95 Fig. 6: Photo showing in-vell borehole and also note depletion of ater table Dharwad for extending al facilities and encouragement. The authors are also thankful to all the farmers who permitted us to carry out VES studies and also for making available the drilling data, Our thanks are also due to Shi. H. V. Nedagoudar, Senior Geophysicit, Department of Mi Government of Karnatak for his valuable suggestions sand Geo REFERENCES: |. Ajolai, EA and Oyelaye, FJ. 2008, Geophysical and hydrochemical asessment of groundwater pollution due toa dump stein Lagos State, Nigeria. IGSI,66(5: 617-622 Bhattacharya, T. Kd Pata, HP, 1968, Direct Curent Geoelectrc Sounding. Elsevier, Amsterdam 3. Narayanpeiar, A.B, Vasant, A. nd Malick, K. 2006, Electrical resistivity technique for exploration and studies on flow patter of groundwater in mul-aquifer system inthe basaltic terrain ofthe Adila ‘Basin, Mabarashta. JGSI,67(1:69-82. Nath, S.X., Patra, H-P, and Shahid , 2000. Geophysical Prospecting for Groundwater, Oxforéand IBH Publishing Co. Pt. Lid, 12pp 5. Orellana, E. and Mooney, H. M. 1966, Master Tables and Curves of VES over Layered Structures Intercencia, Modeid