The main points of the joint preliminary study were the following:

• General Topic: Urban Hydrology - Ground Water Management and Ground Water Protection.
• Specific Topic: Sustainable Ground Water Management and Ground Water protection in the Patancheru Area of Hyderabad.
• Duration: One year.
• Subject: Shortage of Ground Water in the Patancheru Area of Hyderabad due to pollution of this resource as well as due to its depletion. The pollution is created by industry (for example chemical, textiles and other industries), settlement and agriculture. The reasons for the low yield of Ground Water has to be evaluated and assessed. The conflict of interests between Water management, industry, agriculture to be examinated.
• Objectives: Judgement of the hydrogeological (size of catchment, precipitation, infiltration rate, etc.) and hydrogeological preconditions (type and characteristics of the aquifer).
• Objective argumentation about the cause of Ground Water depleation: Association of the pollution (chemical data) to the source of pollution; judgement of danger potential. Elaboration of missing data within the pilot project: pointing out the points of conflicts between the various parties; collegial elaboration of recommendations for the solution of the problems.
• Workplan: Applied research has been carried out during the pilot project in India starting from May 2000. Experts and university students from India, Austria and Italy, as well as invited members from the governmental departments and industry interacted as established during the workshop in December 1999. This one year project had not to start right from the beginning: basic information on hydrology, hydrogeology and hydrochemistry exist already from the R.R. District. Those data and information which have been missing have been subject of our common research project.
• Comparison of results and accuracy of measurements: Discussions about the completed investigations and the interpretation of the results between experts from universities or institutes with invited participants from industry, companies, governmental departments, enterprises, etc., are provided elucidating the situation and to discuss the problems as well as to find solutions with the experience of different nationalities and cultural background.
• Evaluation and graphical presentation of the pilot project results: The partners will break down these tasks before the final presentation takes place (including a Cd-Rom with a database); ways of conflict-clearance; discussion about suitable protection strategies for the ground water; square protection or integrated protection; priority list (might be different for Indians, Austrians and Italians); possibilities to master the problem (e.g. techniques, transparency).