Assessment of Groundwater for Drinking and Irrigation in Kalanaur Block (Rohtak) Haryana, India

Abstract

Groundwater is an essential source of drinking and irrigation in rural areas across the globe. Water pollution is among the leading problem in causes of health-related disorders all over the world. Physico-chemical analysis of water gives an insight into the quality of water. Various physical and chemical parameters were examined to calculate the water quality index (W.Q.I.) in villages of the Kalanaur block of Rohtak district (Haryana), India. The suitability of groundwater for irrigation purposes was determined by calculation of Sodium Adsorption Ratio (S.A.R.), Sodium Percent (Na %), Residual Sodium Carbonate (R.S.C.) and Permeability Index (P.I.), U.S. salinity plot, Wilcox diagram, etc. Most water samples were of high W.Q.I., indicating poor water quality. A minimum value of W.Q.I. was 58.38 for S17 and the maximum was 454.41 for S12. Most of the parameters analyzed suggested that water was polluted due to very high concentrations of T.D.S., chloride, magnesium and bicarbonate ions. S.A.R., Na %, R.S.C. and P.I. values were in the excellent to good range. Piper trilinear plot indicated that most of the water samples belonged to mixed Ca-Mg-Cl and Ca-HCO-3 type of water facies. Gibbs plot suggested a significant interaction between water and rocks in the area. Almost 50% of the water samples were suitable for irrigation.