*Berla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani. Rajasthan.
**University of Roorkee, Roorkee, U.P.
A general equation, representing the shape of the free surface for seepage flow through porous media, is derived by attempting an exact solution of the Laplace’s equation with appropriate boundary conditions. The general equation reduces to the Dupuit’s equation if the pressure distribution is assumed to be hydrostatic at all sections. The same general equation has been solved by assuming the pressure distribution to be different from hydrostatic, which should be a better approximation than Dupuit’s equation. Solutions have been given for one dimensional as well as radial flow. The results obtained by the second approximation are compared in a few cases with results obtained on Dupuit’s equation as well as with Babbitt and Caldwell’s empirical equation in case of radial flow towards wells.
