Management of Saltwater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers: An Overview of Recent Advances

Abstract

The demand for freshwater is very high in the coastal regions due to the high population density in coastal areas. To meet this demand for freshwater, the coastal aquifers are often heavily pumped without any regulation, resulting in saltwater intrusion. Therefore, the biggest challenge in the management of coastal aquifer is to meet the demand for freshwater by pumping the coastal aquifer without causing saltwater intrusion. In this study, a brief overview of various methods for identification, prediction, and management of saltwater intrusion is presented. Detection of saltwater intrusion is largely hindered due to insufficient spatiotemporal monitoring because of budgetary constraints. Application, merits, and demerits of the newer cost-effective techniques as well as conventional techniques for identifying saltwater intrusion are discussed in this chapter. The application of various prediction models and their computational difficulties is also presented in this study. Finally, advanced techniques for identification and sustainable management practice in saltwater intrusion are discussed. Though significant progress has been made in the recent past in the management of coastal aquifers, they still show gaps in addressing real-life scenarios. An attempt has been made to highlight the suitability of a developed methodology and their respective limitations.