Over the past few months I have been writing a 'Basic Guide to Groundwater' for use by those working on water and sanitation projects overseas - who have not had much technical training or had any advanced study of science. The guide is also well-suited to those who speak English, but it is not their first language - using many simple and clear diagrams to communicate the key principles of geology and hydrogeology.
The guide is less aimed at hydrogeologists, water technicians and water engineers (who are likely to have had some training) and more aimed at those managing, contracting and supervising water projects. It will give them a basic understanding of many important questions such as where is water stored underground, what are pumping tests, how does the water table change over time and what materials make good aquifers? It is hoped that the guide will improve the quality of decision making by such people, and from that improve the quality and sustainability of community water supplies.
The publication is currently going through the review stage, with copies being distributed to some key individuals to seek their feedback and comments. Eventually it will be freely available as a PDF from the resources page of our main website. We are actively seeking sponsors for this publication, to fund future work and resources and help us disseminate this useful guide to as wide an audience as possible. If your organisation would be interested in profiling themselves within this guide, then please get in contact via our support page to discuss this possibility.
Over the coming weeks this blog will publish some of the text and diagrams from the guide to give you a taste of the sort of things it will cover.
