Principles and Practices of Water Resources Development and Management

Freshwater management challenges are increasingly common. Allocation of limited water resources between agricultural, municipal and environmental uses now requires the full integration of supply, demand, water quality and ecological considerations. Water is the scarcest resource. The importance of the resource for the survival of the modern society - sustaining agricultural and industrial growth, and the retardation of environmental degradation needs no elaboration. Sustainable development and management of the resource require scientific and systematic approaches. This book covers the major aspects of water resources development and management such as the assessment of such resources, estimation of groundwater recharge, water-well construction and groundwater hydraulics, management of the resources, water contamination, protection of the resources, economics in water resources, statistical methods in water resources, and use of models in water resource management. When necessary, workout problems are provided to explain the application of theory/methodology in practice. This comprehensive and compact presentation of the book will serve as a textbook for undergraduate students in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, and Geotechnical/Geo-science Engineering. Students of other relevant branches such as Hydrology, Geology, Hydrogeology, Geochemistry, Bio-Science Engineering, and engineers working in the field and at research institutes will also benefit from the lessons within its pages. Although the target audience of the book is undergraduate students, post-graduate students will also learn from this book. Considering the topics and depth covered, engineers, scientists, practitioners, and educators will find this book a valuable resource as well.