Hydrogeology of the Jharia Coal Field, India

The Jharia Coal field is a part of an east-west trending intracratonic Gondwana basin in eastern India. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive research programme to understand the hydrogeological setting and the aquifer characteristics. Water table in weathered zone is observed to fluctuate cyclically with seasons and suggests shallow ground water flow system. Aquifer parameters obtained by pumping tests are relatively low and these formations are classified as poor aquifers. The small volumes of water in coal mines is directly related to poor hydraulic conductivity of the rocks associated with coal.