

Subsequently, more modern and scientific techniques were developed, significantly improving the success rate of water collection facilities. Traditionally, dowsing was the only way of searching for groundwater. There are various methods for investigating phreatic layers. In actual fact, closeness to the beneficiaries often remains the prime criterion. The search for groundwater sources must take account of technical (hydrogeological) criteria as well as socio-economic criteria (closeness to a village, cost of investigation). Instead, it aims to explain the principle and main advantages and drawbacks of the techniques, so that the communities and people concerned can find out about their main characteristics and be able to contact specialised companies, having gained better knowledge of the facts. The purpose of this document is not to give detailed explanations of the mode of operation and use of the various techniques, as most of them are fairly costly and can only be used by specialists. In actual fact, it consists of different methods ranging from the most rudimentary – but nevertheless of interest for people or small communities with little means, such as dowsing – to the most sophisticated such as the prior analysis of satellite photos or proton magnetic resonance (PMR) investigations.

Indeed, aquifers are natural underground reservoirs capable of supplying large quantities of drinking water during the dry season, when rivers are likely to dry up.ĥ) What does this process involve ? How is it implemented ? It particularly concerns regions prone to severe droughts. In mountain areas, this method is difficult to implement due to the great depths involved. This method primarily concerns underprivileged rural or peri-urban areas. This water can be detected with more or less precision depending on the methods used, through the electromagnetic waves it emits.Ĥ) Who is primarily concerned ? Places or contexts in which this method seems most appropriate As it is often buried at significant depths, it is highly advisable to locate it as precisely as possible and assess its quantity and quality before undertaking costly drilling work and thus avoid costly failures. Groundwater is usually good-quality water. Given the growing and vital importance of water and soil resources around the world, as well as their scarcity, we need to do everything possible to improve the finding, management and preservation of these essential and fragile resources. It is also used in developed countries but mainly for uses other than direct consumption (gardening, geothermal energy). This method is mainly used in developing countries or other regions where water is rare and where irrigation is essential for crops. However, the modern techniques stem from the 20th century. This is done with the utmost care and precision, using appropriate techniques, in order to dig or drill wells in the best possible places and thereby avoid costly, discouraging failures.Īround 1250 BC, Moses searched for water in the Sinai desert using his divining rod, practicing an art known since early Antiquity. Searching for water located below the earth’s surface, in phreatic layers or aquifers, in order to pump it. 11) Where to obtain further information - Bibliography.Search for an aquifer via a geophysical study in Namou 7) Choice of the method according to the ground’s hydrogeological characteristics.5) What does this process involve ? How is it implemented ?.4) Who is primarily concerned ? Places or contexts in which this method seems most appropriate.
