Exploration and Investigation of High-Level Radon Medicinal Springs in the Crystalline Units: Lugicum

Radioactive (radon) groundwaters are highly valued among mineral waters for their healing effects. Between 2005 and 2015, a large exploratory event for prospecting and documenting radon water springs took place in the crystalline area of Lugicum (Bohemian Massif) under Czech–Polish cooperation. For these purposes, an exploration method was developed as a combination of GIS (ArcMap 9.1–10.2) area preparation followed by field radiohydrogeochemical mapping at a scale of 1:10,000. The gamma indication method was optimized and used for the selection of water samples. A total of 2354 water sources were examined. Radon activity concentrations were measured at 660 sources found throughout the territory. Of those, 111 sources exhibited 222Rn activity above 1500 Bq/L and, thus, were categorized as sources of mineral radioactive waters according to Czech legislation. The highest 222Rn activity was found in the Michael spring near Nové Město pod Smrkem (up to 6237 Bq/L 222Rn). Many discovered sources with high balneological potential are significant and, therefore, are quickly becoming popular among the public.

Approaches to Visibility and Strategical Control of the Sierra Harana Schematic Rock Art (Granada, Spain)

An approach about territorial control and mobility in Sierra Harana (Granada, Spain) during Late Prehistory is presented in this paper, according to rock shelters with schematic rock art distribution. Different aspects have been analysed by using tools provided by Geographic Information Systems (GIS): the relationship between rock shelters and hydrographic network and water springs, and, mainly, their visual control. The association between rock shelters with schematic rock art and burial caves use during the Neolithic period is observed in the study area. A strong link between rock shelters and traditional pathways is also attested. These facts can be read as a way to mark symbolically certain routes that could be aimed to short transhumance practice.

Community-based water governance for adaptation to water reduction and scarcity in Badulla district of Sri Lanka

Sustainable Development Goal number 6 declares safe drinking water for all as a human right and it can be used as an indicator to measure development. While urban and municipal residents benefit from safe drinking water through centralized water supply systems, water supply for rural areas and estates were decentralized due to large construction costs, according to the demand-driven approach introducing community governance mechanism for water sources and water supply in rural areas. Community-based water societies emerged as a consequence of this situation. In Badulla district of Sri Lanka, 47% of community-based water societies depend upon natural water springs benefitting 46% of households in a particular area. Recently, two natural water springs dried up affecting 191 households and 10 community-based water societies who depend on natural water springs are regulating their water supply hours due to a long and extended drought situation.This affected 1,953 households in Badulla. Further it represents 8.4% of households who depend upon natural water springs. Owing to the present water scarcity, 37 community-based water societies started catchment protection initiatives with the support of government and non-governmental agencies. One community-based water society in this district has collapsed due to lack of water with the drying up of their natural water spring and another is functioning with an alternative water source. Other community-based water societies are functioning to a varying extent because of water level reduction in natural water springs. While the climate is changing, there are development initiatives that, in particular, are affecting natural water springs.

CULTURAL HERITAGE CONSERVATION: CASE STUDY OF PEDAWA VILLAGE, BALI- INDONESIA

Bali, which is famous for its tourist areas, has many cultural heritages, one of them is the Bali Aga villages. Bali Aga Village is an indigenous village that existed before the arrival of community from the island of Java in the era of the Majapahit kingdom. Pedawa Village which is located in Banjar District, Buleleng Regency is one of the Bali Aga Villages in Bali which has many cultural heritages that need to be preserved. This village is very famous for its culture, customs and belief that are still preserved by the local community. One of the cultural heritages is the temple named Pura Dalem Kayehan Desa and Kayehan Desa Alas Jeringo which both have natural springs that are used by all villagers in daily basis. These two temples are used for activities ranging from sacred activities (rituals and traditional ceremonies) to profane (bathing and washing clothes). Local community often experience difficulties when carrying out sacred and profane activities during the rainy season due to the low quality of access that is difficult to pass. Hence, there are no adequate supporting facilities to perform ritual and profane activities. Moreover, the condition of the temple is not well maintained, so it requires immediate treatment. This study raises the concept of preserving these two temples and water springs in Pedawa Village. This conservation is urgent because these two temples are very important for the local community but its condition is not maintained and well organized. Interviews, focus group discussions and field surveys is applied to determine the suitable conservation concept. Results show that the conservation concept applies the Tri Mandala concept (sacred area, middle area and profane area). Further, participation and needs of the local community also has become the important contribution towards the basis of conservation concept of these two temples.

Assessment of communities’ water springs in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

Water is a vital component for living, but its distribution is uneven and becomes hard to obtain in some places. Generally, people use water sources from PDAM, rivers, wells, and springs. Springs are often used as a source of water which are used by the community. Unfortunately, the spring and its surrounding area are often disturbed, and their function is changed. Even though several activities have shifted the land cover around the spring area, it affects the spring's water quality. The study aims to find out the condition of the springs which are used by the people at Gowa Regency. The data was collected through a survey, and the spring sampling was carried out purposefully. Furthermore, the data were analyzed descriptively. The study showed that springs are still an important source of water for rural communities. The results showed that the water quality of springs was feasible for household and other purposes. We found that the community seemingly has low awareness of preserving the spring. The area around the spring has been disturbed by community activities that are prone to polluting the springs.

Mineralogical and hydrogeological study of "pouhons" in the lower Palaeozoic formations of the Stavelot-Venn Massif, Belgium

Numerous naturally CO2-rich mineral water springs, locally called pouhons, occur in the Stavelot-Venn Massif. These water springs show a particular composition with a high content of iron, manganese and lithium, and are characterised by a red-orange colour resulting from iron hydroxide precipitation near the land surface. Radon measurements have shown that these ferruginous deposits are weakly radioactive. The Upper Cambrian black shales of the La Gleize Formation are also known to display radioactive anomalies. These rocks show enrichment in HFSE (Pb, U, Y, Ce, Zr, Ti, Nb) and are depleted in transition metals (Co, Ni, Cu, Zn). Specific minerals such as florencite-(Ce), monazite-(Ce), xenotime-(Y) and zircon have been identified and are probably at the origin of the radioactive anomalies. Uranium was gradually leached from these minerals, transported in solution, and finally concentrated in ferruginous muds. These muds are mainly composed of goethite (most often amorphous), residual quartz and calcite in some samples. The most probable hypothesis is that uranium is adsorbed in small concentrations on the goethite surface. On the other hand, the Ottré Formation (Ordovician) appears to be the main source of lithium, iron and manganese. Pouhon waters have therefore probably leached rocks of various mineralogy and chemical composition during their sub-surface circulation.

SOURCE: a semi-automatic tool for spring-monitoring data analysis and aquifer characterisation

It has become increasingly necessary to optimise mountain groundwater resource management and comprehend resource-recharging systems from a hydrogeological perspective to formulate adequate resource protection strategies. Analysing mountain spring behaviour and aquifer characteristics can be time-consuming, so new automated techniques and software tools are needed to estimate hydrogeological parameters and understand the exhaustion dynamics of groundwater resources. This paper introduces SOURCE, a new semi-automatic tool that automates the hydrogeological characterisation of water springs and provides proper estimations of the vulnerability index, as well as autocorrelation and cross-correlation statistical coefficients. SOURCE rapidly processed input data from the Mascognaz 1 spring (Aosta Valley) water probes and meteorological station to provide graphical outputs and values for the main hydrodynamic parameters. Having a single software package that contains all the main methods of water spring analysis could potentially reduce analysis times from a few days to a few hours.

Sustainable Management of Springs for Water Security in Parts of the Sikkim Himalaya Region – An Overview

Springs plays a significant role in the water security of hilly people living in the Sikkim Himalayan region. Springs in the hilly regions of Sikkim contributes a maximum in the water safety, especially in the rural households. A detailed understanding about spring geology and management issues are of pre-requisite in the perspective of Sikkim for their maintenance, monitoring and management. The principal task is retaining the original unpolluted conditions of the springs and their sustainability. Geologically, the varieties of gravity springs are predominant along with Depression Spring and Fracture Spring. Structurally vulnerable plains, especially joints, fractures, and small-scale faults are true avenues for the flow path of spring water. Springs in Himalaya regions are originating from the unconfined aquifers. The yield potential of the springs are adversely affected by the factors like climatic aberration resulting in the form of variations in the rainfall intensities and tectonic activities. Chemical quality of spring water is very much within the acceptable limit of the prescribed standard, whilst away from the main city area. Springshed development and management through rainwater conservation is of essential to provide sustainable water security to the population in Sikkim.