Abstract

 
 
 
 This article presents an appraisal of the quality of groundwater in the hard Received in revised form: 15.07.2021 rock aquifer system of the Vasishta sub basin, of the Vellar River Basin. Seventy nine representative groundwater samples were collected from dug and bore wells which are intensively used for domestic and irrigational purposes. The physical parameters viz. PH, EC and TDS were estimated in the field using a portable multiparameter meter. The groundwater samples were transported to the laboratory for measuring major ionic concentrations viz, Ca, Mg, Na, K, CO3, HCO3, Cl, SO4, F and NO3. The hydrochemical data were graphically projected and spatial temporal thematic maps generated with reference to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Bureau of Indian (BIS) Standards. The peoples living in the sub basin engage in agricultural activities where the groundwater availability is sufficient. The groundwater is a major source for meeting their basic needs, such as for domestic, irrigational and industrial purposes. Good correlation is exhibited between EC and TDS Cl, SO4.Cl exhibits good correlation with Mg and Ca (0.817), (0.751) indicating leaching of secondary salts. TDS and EC showed strong correlation with Cl, SO4. Clustering groundwater samples based on their similarity is known as Q-mode type clustering method. Spatial and temporal maps of the water quality index reveal that the majority of the groundwater samples fall under the categories excellent to good.
 
 
 
Highlights
Water is often considered to be one of the most important resources of our planet
It was found that PH limit varies from 6.74 to 8.41, which indicates that groundwater is acidic, alkaline, and 5 % to 95 % of the groundwater sample is of potable category, the PH value within the maximum falls within the permissible category
The Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) varied from 124 to 3335 mg/l, which indicates rock water interaction in relation to groundwater, the TDS depending upon variation process such as domestic sewage and agricultural activities, The most common source of calcium and magnesium in groundwater concentration of Ca value varied from16 to 281 mg/l. 96 % of the sample was of allowable category, 4 % of the sample only was not of potable category, Mg content value varied from 7 to 153 mg/l, 94 % of the sample was of potable category,6 % of the sample was not of potable category
Summary
Water is often considered to be one of the most important resources of our planet. It is the most abundant physical substance and transparent liquid on the earth.Groundwater is the largest obtainable resource for fresh water. Water is often considered to be one of the most important resources of our planet It is the most abundant physical substance and transparent liquid on the earth. Nowadays ground water resources are being continuously exploited from the aquifers to meet industrial, agricultural and domestic needs. Ground water resources in the Vasishta sub-basin, Tamil Nadu, India are being continuously exploited to meet the demand for the water supply and irrigation because the water available in surface water bodies such as wells, tanks and reservoirs is not sufficient, and the resulting rapid decline in the ground water head in many areas. Changing climatic conditions, growing population, industrialization, and intensive agricultural and urbanization activities have led to a high demand for groundwater especially in countries experiencing economic growth like India (Srinivasamoorthy et al 2011). It is essential to assess the ground water quality for extraction and management of the water resources, which is emerging as a great public concern in this region
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