Dorrik A. V. Stow Editor in Chief, Association of Geoscientists for International Development ( AGID) AGIO is particularly pleased to see published this latest hurricanes, floods-that are wreaking havoc, destroying report in its Geosciences in International Development livelihood and lives in some corner of the globe. Series, as a significant contribution to the onset of the UN As geoscientists there are perhaps three concerns that Decade of National Disaster Reduction, and as a mark of should be uppermost in our minds as we join an inter AGIO's growing concern over the potential and actual national effort to combat the adverse effects of natural effects of geohazards throughout the developing world. hazards. The first must be to improve our scientific The problem of geohazards is increasing, not because understanding of the nature and causes of such hazards and to work towards more reliable prediction of their the rate of earth processes is accelerating, nor because the voice of the media appears to be paying more and more occurrence and magnitude.

As human populations escalate and urbanization increases at alarming rates, the need for clean water is creating greater pressures than ever before. Groundwater quality monitoring and testing is of paramount importance both in the developed and developing world. This book presents a series of papers illustrating the varied nature of current research into groundwater quality.

Environmental or applied geology maps are an important means of communicating earth science background information to land-use and development planners, administrators, and policymakers. This volume reviews the current state of applied earth science mapping. Sections are devoted to mapping technique