*Assistant Professor, Dept. of Geology, S.V. University, Tirupati, A.P.
**Research Scholar, Dept. of Geology, S.V. University, Tirupati, A.P.
***Post Doctoral Fellow, Dept. of Geography, S.V. University, Tirupati, A.P.
Anantapur District experiences semi-arid climate. The summer months are very hot and the Mercury rises to + 42° Celsius. Winter months are pleasant, when the night temperature is about 13° Celsius to 15° Celsius. Winter months are ideal for fieldwork. However, a few field traverses were taken for this work in the summer months also. Rainfall is generally scanty. The average rainfall per annuam is 530.00 mm. In the year 2008, the recurrence of drought increased considerably and unless collective measures are initiated on a permanent basis the situation will become grim in future. Chigicherla watershed in Anantapur District is selected to demonstrate the capability of high resolution satellite data in ground water mapping at village level. This watershed is located in Survey of India toposheet Nos. 57F/10,57F/11,57F/14 and F/15. This watershed with an area of about 209 sq.km is underlined by hornblende biotite gneiss, Closepet Granite and metabasalt traversed by dolerite dykes. Ground water prospecting mapping was carried out on 1:10,000 scale using IRS-P6 LISS-IV satellite data. The satellite data facilitates to update the extent of built-up area, road and drainage network. Further, the revenue villages enclosed in the watershed are digitized, mosaiced and superimposed on Ground water prospecting map. This helps to give site specific recommendation on ground water prospects land forms wise i.e. for individual units. In addition, the impact analysis of check dams constructed in the watershed is also discussed. Studies showed that after construction of tentative check dams the water levels in well- increased Well inventory data confirmed that the various geomorphic units are classified as favorable, moderately favorable, and poor zones of groundwater.
Integrated Ground water Prospect mapping, Watershed, Rainfall, Geomorphology
