Abstract
This paper examines the quality of groundwater in a 40 sq km region comprising Osmania University and surrounding areas in the north eastern part of Hyderabad city in India. 171 groundwater samples from bore wells in the region have been analyzed for ionic concentrations of K + , Na + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , F - , Cl - , SO 4 2- , HCO 3 - and NO 3 2- . Parameters such as pH, total hardness (TH), total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium absorption ratio (SAR), permeability index (PI), residual carbonate (RC), electrical conductance (EC) and groundwater quality index (GWQI) have been evaluated, contoured and analyzed to determine the areas of contaminated groundwater. It is inferred from Wilcox plot and Piper trilinear diagram, the samples in the study area falls under C3S1 class and characterized by alkaline. It was found the groundwater in the entire region is too hard for drinking. Groundwater contamination in the study area is attributable to different sources; in the southern part of the study area, it is due to proximity to the river Musi that acts as a carrier of domestic and industrial effluents. In and around Nacharam and Mallapur, the effluents discharged from the several industries are responsible for polluting the groundwater in the region. Regions such as Jamai Osmania, Lallaguda and Lalapet are very densely populated and it is the domestic sewage in this area that is the primary cause of groundwater contamination.
Highlights
As the distribution of surface sources of water is so uneven as to be inadequate, in many parts of the country the dependence on groundwater is almost total. This is especially true in regions of arid to semi-arid type of climate where average annual rainfall is less than 100 cm and the scope of aquifer recharge is limited
This paper studies the extent and degree of groundwater contamination in a part of the city of Hyderabad from geochemical analysis of groundwater samples
Chloride concentrations appear to be elevated in the downstream side of the lakes in the area; peak values of 500-1000 mg/l were observed in the southern part
Summary
As the distribution of surface sources of water is so uneven as to be inadequate, in many parts of the country the dependence on groundwater is almost total. This is especially true in regions of arid to semi-arid type of climate where average annual rainfall is less than 100 cm and the scope of aquifer recharge is limited. The capital of Andhra Pradesh, is located between latitude 17o 15’N to 17o35’N and longitude 78o20’E to 78o37’E It is the sixth largest city of India (2001). In the present study 171 ground water samples were collected from bore wells located in parts of the city in Dec 2007.
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