Demarcation of aquifer boundaries and hydro-geologic characterization can help in proper management and conservation of groundwater resources of a coastal region. The objective of the present study is to identify and delineate the groundwater-bearing zones and protection of freshwater aquifers from saltwater ingress in the northern parts of Sindhudurg district, western Maharashtra, India. A total of 86 vertical electrical soundings (VES) were carried out by Schlumberger electrode arrangement to infer the sub-surface lithology around Kankavali, Vijaydurg, and Malvan. The Dar-Zarrouk parameters were computed to generate the spatial variation maps of transverse resistance (T), longitudinal conductance (S), transverse resistivity (ρ_t), and longitudinal resistivity (ρ_l), to decipher the resistivity contrast of fresh water and salt water-bearing formations. The results demonstrate that these parameters provide a better resolution in delineating the seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers. The overburden aquifer protective capacity computed from the longitudinal conductance suggests that 59% of the area has poor aquifer protection, while 23% has weak, 11% has moderate and 7% falls in good protective capacity rating. This parameter reveals the infiltration of contaminants and the health of the aquifer. The electrical anisotropy (λ) value ranges from 0.9 to 5.1, suggesting an increase from SW to NE and also from SE to NW. The fracture porosity (φ_f) ranges from 10⁻⁶ to 0.65, which corroborates with the high and low λ values, reflecting that fracturing is due to anisotropy and significant reserves of groundwater could be exploited in this coastal region.

含水层边界的划分和水文地质特征可有助于适当管理和保护沿海地区的地下水资源。本研究的目的是在印度西部马哈拉施特拉邦北部的信德古德县北部，确定并划定地下水带，保护淡水含水层免受海水的入侵。斯伦贝谢电极装置总共进行了86次垂直电测深（VES），以推断Kankavali，Vijaydurg和Malvan附近的地下岩性。DAR的-Zarrouk参数计算，以产生横向阻力（T），纵向电导（S），横向电阻率（ρ的空间变化映射_吨），和纵向电阻率（ρ_升），以解释淡水和含盐水地层的电阻率对比。结果表明，这些参数为描述沿海含水层中的海水入侵提供了更好的分辨率。根据纵向电导计算的上覆含水层保护能力表明，该地区59％的含水层保护能力较差，而23％的含水层保护能力较弱，11％的土壤保护能力中等，有7％的保护能力等级下降。该参数揭示了污染物的渗透和含水层的健康状况。电各向异性（λ）值的范围从0.9到5.1，表明从SW到NE以及从SE到NW都有增加。断裂孔隙率（_{f f}）介于10 ^-6至0.65之间，与高低有关。λ值，反映了压裂是由于各向异性造成的，在这个沿海地区可以开采大量的地下水。