Abstract
Deterioration of surface water quality in various parts of India due to increasing urbanization has led to the extensive usage of groundwater for various domestic and irrigation needs, thereby raising concerns over its quality. However, there are very few studies focussing over the issue of groundwater quality in North-Eastern region of India. In order to make an assessment of the quality of groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes, this study was carried out in Shillong—the Capital City of Meghalaya State in North-East India during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons of 2018. Standard sampling and analytical procedures were followed for groundwater quality assessment. Minimal variation was observed in the water quality of pre- and post-monsoon seasons. However, the study found that groundwater samples are having acidic pH and presence of nitrate is also reported. Some of the samples also showed the presence of mercury, nickel, and cadmium. The presence of these contaminants could be attributed to the industrial activities in the state. Overall, the groundwater quality was found suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes after conventional treatment. Hydrochemical studies further inferred that groundwater properties in the region are influenced by the rock weathering along with the atmospheric precipitation.
Highlights
Periodic water quality assessment of surface and groundwater is necessary for the well-being of ecosystem in general, and for the human society in particular
Tested values were compared with the standard values given by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and World Health Organization (WHO) [17, 18] (Tables 2–3)
As per the BIS and WHO, the acceptable pH values for drinking purposes should lie within the range of 6.5–8.5
Summary
Periodic water quality assessment of surface and groundwater is necessary for the well-being of ecosystem in general, and for the human society in particular. The present study was carried out in Shillong, which was known as the ‘Scotland of the East’ during British period owing to the presence of rolling hills around the town [13] This region has been pollution free, the population explosion and urbanization have led to various environmental problems recently. Due to shortage of the clean surface water, the pressure is increasing onto the groundwater resources, and it was considered necessary to have an assessment of the quality of the same. In this manuscript, the assessment and suitability of the groundwater in the Shillong region for drinking and irrigation purposes are detailed
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