Groundwater Geochemical Investigation and Quality Assessment for Drinking and Irrigation Uses in Sohagpur Coalfield, Madhya Pradesh, India

In this work, the assessment of surface and ground water quality of Palladam Taluk, Tiruppur, district, Tamil Nadu, India were carried out using Geographical Information System (GIS) and Modified National Sanitation Foundation -Water Quality Index (MNSF-WQI). Four samples from surface and twenty seven samples from ground water sources were taken from Palladam Taluk, Tiruppur District. In the current study, the surface and ground water samples were analysed for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), biological oxygen demand (BOD), turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), faecal coliforms (FC), total phosphate (TP), total nitrate (TN), chlorides (Cl-), sodium (Na+) and fluoride (F-) ions to investigate the suitability of surface and ground water for drinking and agricultural purposes through Geographic information system (GIS) and modified national sanitation foundation water quality index (MNSF-WQI) technique. The concentrations of TH, TDS, Cl- and Na+ were observed to be above the desirable limit of World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). whereas F-, BOD, DO, EC, TP, TN, FC and temperature were within the acceptable limits. The GIS-based WQI map analysis indicated that 45% of the study area having good water quality index and the remaining area showed medium quality water. Dyeing and textile industries in the study area are responsible for deteriorating the quality to medium quality of water which was not appropriate for direct utilization and needed prior treatment. There is no detailed report on assessment of the surface and ground water quality of Palladam Taluk in Tamil Nadu using GIS and MNSF-WQI techniques.

One hundred and fifty-six groundwater samples were collected from the Aosta Valley region, Italy and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), major cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺), major anions (HCO₃¯, F,¯ Cl¯, NO₃¯, SO₄²¯) to evaluate the hydrogeochemical characterization as well as water quality of the area. A geographic information system (GIS) tool was used to study the spatial variation in the groundwater parameters of the study area. The analytical results show slightly acidic to slightly alkaline nature of the groundwater in the study area. The TDS exceed the desirable limit of 500 mg L¯¹ in 43% of the groundwater samples. HCO₃¯ and SO₄²¯ are the dominant anions, while cation chemistry is dominated by Ca²⁺and Mg²⁺. The data plotted on the Piper and Gibbs diagrams as well as statistical analysis reveals that the groundwater chemistry was mainly controlled by rock weathering processes in the study area. Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺-HCO₃¯and Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺-Cl¯ -SO₄²¯ were the dominant hydrogeochemical facies in the groundwater of the study area. For quality assessment, values of analyzed parameters were compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) water quality standard, which shows that the concentrations of TDS, Ca²⁺, SO₄²¯ and TH are exceeding the desirable limits in some water samples. This study could be useful in implementing future measures in groundwater resource management of the area.

The Bundelkhand region of Central India has been facing increasing severity of droughts, water-level depletion and deterioration in water quality. In this perspective, an attempt has been made for a qualitative evaluation of surface and groundwater resources belonging to the rural environment of this region to understand the contaminant’s source and probable human health risk due to the intake of the available water. The water samples collected from this region were analysed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, total hardness (TH), major anions (F−, Cl−, HCO3 −, SO4 2−, NO3 −) and major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+). The observations revealed a near-neutral to slightly alkaline nature of the studied water samples. The computed water quality index implies that around 82% water samples are of good to excellent category for drinking uses. Turbidity, TDS, TH and NO3 − were identified as the major parameters which violate the limits of drinking water. Geochemical investigations in association with multivariate statistical analysis identify carbonate weathering in coordination with the ion-exchange process as the major hydrogeochemical mechanism controlling the solute chemistry and concentrations of TH, TDS, HCO3 −, F−, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+. On the contrary NO3 −, Cl−, SO4 2− and K+ were strongly associated with anthropogenic activities. Water at most of the locations expresses positive saturation indices with respect to calcite and dolomite minerals, inferring the precipitation of these mineral phases. Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and percent sodium (%Na) values show a low alkali hazard and water can be used safely for irrigation purposes. However, high salinity in 39% of the water samples makes it unfit for application in agricultural fields. The non-carcinogenic hazard indices (HI) calculated by adding hazard quotient values of NO3 − and F− for child, adult male and female population show that more than 64% of the water samples are deemed to be unfit for human consumption.

Groundwater quality is a critical indicator of water usability for drinking and irrigation. Tiruvallur district, spanning approximately 3,394 square kilometres, is one of the largest districts in Tamil Nadu, India. Due to rapid population growth, urbanization, and industrial activities, overexploitation of groundwater has significantly deteriorated its quality, posing challenges for sustainable living. This study evaluates the groundwater quality in Tiruvallur, where groundwater serves as the primary source of drinking water due to inadequate surface water availability. The study addresses declining groundwater quality in Tiruvallur District using a novel integration of Water Quality Index and GIS-based spatial mapping. Groundwater samples were collected from 10 dug wells across the district. Key physicochemical parameters, including pH, total hardness (TH), total dissolved solids (TDS), and electrical conductivity, were analyzed to calculate the Water Quality Index (WQI). The suitability of groundwater for drinking and irrigation was assessed against the standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, particularly QGIS, were employed to create spatial distribution maps of water quality parameters. Box plot analysis highlighted a strong correlation between total dissolved solids and electrical conductivity, further emphasizing the need for sustainable groundwater management. This study provides a comprehensive spatial representation of groundwater quality, aiding stakeholders in implementing effective water resource management strategies.

Surface water and groundwater are primary resources for communities living in arid and semi-arid regions. The expansion of industrial and agricultural practices has raised pressure on natural resources. Water quality assessment provides valuable information about potential of resources for intended uses. The correlation study was carried out on the physicochemical parameters of surface water and groundwater in the Tikamgarh city. The physicochemical parameters, such as pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), total alkalinity (TA), sulphate (SO42-), fluoride (F-), iron (Fe), nitrate (NO3-), chloride (Cl-) and turbidity were analysed to determine correlation between parameters. The grab sampling technique was adopted to collect water samples from selected dug wells and reservoirs. The results of physicochemical parameters were fitted in the correlation coefficient equation to predict probable values of different parameters for selected locations. Results of the correlation study showed that calcium and TH are strongly correlated, followed by TH with chloride. However, Ca2+, TH, Cl-, TA, TDS, SO42-, and iron show a high correlation. The findings show that water quality can be managed by controlling TH and TDS concentrations through conventional and non-conventional treatment methods.

Hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater and its suitability for domestic, irrigation, and industrial purposes were evaluated in Nanded Tehsil. A total of 50 representative groundwater samples were collected from dug/bore wells during post monsoon season 2012 and analyzed for major cations and anions. The order of dominance of cation and anions were Na > Ca > Mg > K and HCO3 > Cl > CO3 > SO4 > NO3, respectively. The rock weathering and evaporation processes are dominant in controlling the groundwater quality in the study area. Electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solid (TDS) show high positive correlation with total Hardness (TH), Ca, Na, and Cl. As per the WHO and BIS standards for domestic water purposes, TDS, TH, Ca, Mg, Na, and Cl exceed the safe limits in 16, 22, 6, 18, 12, and 15 %, respectively; therefore, majority of samples show that the groundwater is suitable for drinking. The spatial distribution maps of physicochemical parameters were prepared in ArcGIS. The suitability of groundwater for agriculture purpose was evaluated from EC, TDS, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), and %Na which ranges from excellent to unsuitable, so majority of the groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation. The U.S. Salinity Laboratory (USSL) diagram shows that most of the groundwater samples are characterized as in high salinity-low sodium hazard type water (C3-S1). All the groundwater samples are suitable for industrial use except sample numbers 44 and 48. Thus, most of the groundwater samples from this study confirm the beneficial use of aquifers in the area for domestic, agricultural, and irrigation purposes. However, sample numbers 44 and 48 identify the two aquifers in the study area which are problematic and need particular remedial measures if they are to have beneficial use.

Groundwater is contaminated by anthropogenic factors such as industry, domestic waste, and excessive fertilizers. Groundwater samples, which were obtained from 50 different wells in July 2020, were used in this study. Thirteen hydrochemical properties, including electrical conductivity (EC), pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), nitrate NO3-, anions, and cations were analyzed. Also, types of groundwater were investigated via the Piper diagram. The groundwater was also evaluated for irrigation suitability using the sodium percentage (Na%), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), Kelly's index (KI), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), potential salinity, magnesium hazard (MR), and permeability index (PI). The samples were assessed for drinking the suitability using the water quality index (WQI) and the nitrate pollution index (NPI). Geographic information systems (GIS) were used to create spatial distribution maps of irrigation water quality indices, WQI, and NPI values. The results of major cations varied sodium 28.69-211.80mg/L, calcium 78.74-258.89 magnesium 27.78-161.30mg/L, and potasium 0.10-3.57mg/L. The results from the study area showed that 62.70 of EC, 32.40% of PI, 20.09% of RSC, 51.55% of PS, and 49.36% of MR were inappropriate for irrigation purposes. The NPI data ranged from - 0.75 to 9.65, and 21.06% of the study areas were heavily polluted. The WQI showed that almost 62.90% of the experimental area was categorized as poor, very poor, and inappropriate for drinking water purposes, whereas 37.10% of the areas were categorized as good and excellent.

The present study confers the chemical quality of groundwater and surface water of Mothkur region, Telangana State, for drinking and irrigational purposes. Mothkur region is geologically occupied by the Archaean crystalline terrain. Most of the population depends on groundwater for their daily needs especially for drinking, house needs and irrigation purposes. For this reason, twenty-five groundwater and five surface water samples were collected and analysed for pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH) bicarbonate (HCO3−), chloride (Cl−), sulphate (SO42−), fluoride (F−), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+). The results are evaluated and compared with WHO and BIS water quality standards. Based on obtained results 32%, 20%, 28% and 4% of groundwater samples are not recommended for drinking with reference to the concentrations of fluoride, TDS, TH and Cl−, respectively. Base-exchange indices and meteoric genesis indices classified 67% and 33% of the water sources as the Na+–HCO3− type and deep meteoric water percolation type, respectively. Piper trilinear diagram for geochemical classification indicates 44% and 60% of groundwater and surface water samples of Ca2+–Na+–HCO3− type and 29% belong to Na+–HCO3− types. Multivariate graphical methods have been carried out using the United States Salinity Laboratory diagram, Wilcox diagram, sodium adsorption ratio, per cent sodium (%Na), residual sodium carbonate and permeability index which indicate that majority of groundwater samples are useful for irrigation purposes.

Safe and clean acceptable quality of water is essential for the survival of life. There are severe problems with the insufficient availability of safe groundwater for human consumption. The present study aims to evaluate the groundwater quality in the coastal area of Srikakulam district, located in the extreme northeastern direction of Andhra Pradesh in India. The study area spreads over an area of 130 km2. In this study, groundwater is the major source for drinking and irrigation purposes. A total of 20 bore well (BW) groundwater samples were collected with a distance of 5 km each during the period of the premonsoon and monsoon seasons of 2020. This study investigates the importance of groundwater quality in some areas of the coastal villages in the Srikakulam district. The overall water quality condition is explained with various physicochemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), total alkalinity (TA), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), fluoride (F–), chloride (Cl–), nitrate (NO3–), sulfate (SO42–), sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and turbidity. The water quality is assessed on the basis of the water quality index (WQI) method. The physicochemical results are compared to the water quality standards of the World Health Organization (WHO), 2012, and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), 2012. The correlations between the values have been presented for various parameters. The water quality index (WQI) ranged between 11.56 and 61.27, the highest value recorded at M. Ganguwada and the lowest at Bandaravanipeta. The analytical results showed that around 90% of the samples are extremely hard in their nature and that their Na+ and Cl– concentrations are also higher. It indicates that the coastal region is influenced by seawater intrusion.

Hydrochemical investigations, which are significant for the assessment of water quality, have been carried out to study the sources of dissolved ions in hot springs water of some part of Jebel Mara mountain, Darfur region, Sudan. The temperature of hot springs water was varies from 50°C to 60°C. Samples collected from hot springs near Koronga village at Jebel Mara, were analyzed for major solutes and trace elements as part of larger study to characterize the geochemical signature of these ground waters. In these study, four major cations (Ca++, Mg++, Na+ and K+), three major anions (Cl-, SO42- and HCO3) and some trace elements (Mn, Zn, Pb, Fe and P) were analyzed in these ground water samples. This study reveals that most waters taken from hot springs has high values of Hydrogen ion concentration (pH) , high values of electrical conductivity (E.C), and high concentrations of total hardness (T.H), total dissolved solids (T.D.S) , bicarbonates (HCO3), sodium (Na+) and Magnesium (Mg++). All these high values of pH, T.D.S, T.H, Na and HCO3 are mainly due to dissolution of these ions from rock bearing minerals of the study area. Normal values of trace elements like Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Iodine (I) and Zinc (Zn) whereas, high concentrations of Manganese (Mn). The study classified hot springs waters as Calcium-Magnesium-Sodium Bicarbonate type. Using USDA classification, water has been classified as C2 S1 (medium conductivity-salinity and low sodium content). The discharge values of hot springs measured to be between 1-2 L/S for all hot springs near Koronga village. The thermal waters are associated with Tertiary basalt and heat for these thermal waters is obtained during deep circulation in fracture basalt and is related to volcanic or tectonic activity. This study suggested that the geothermal waters of Jebel Mara area are of meteoric origin. Hot springs waters (thermal water) have also been used for medical therapy.

Geospatial mapping and suitability classification of groundwater quality for agriculture and domestic uses in a Precambrian basement complex

This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of Kabul Province’s groundwater for drinking by way of analyzing the data collected from 34 ground monitoring wells. The purpose was helped through the assessment of a set of groundwater physico-chemical parameters (pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS); sulfate, fluoride, nitrate, and boron content; total hardness (TH) as calcium carbonate, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and total iron), as well as the determination of the Water Quality Index (WQI) developed based on sampling the water points located in the districts of Kabul Province and Kabul City in the course of 3 years (2018 to 2020) to provide a clear and concise representation of water quality status, and cat-egorize groundwater into different quality classes ranging from “excellent” to “unsuitable for drinking”. Moreover, the spatial distribution of WQI and 12 physico-chemical parameter values was mapped using the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) Interpolation in Arcmap 10.7 environment, revealing distinct water quality patterns across the study area. The water qual-ity testing outcomes under this investigation show compliance of multiple water contaminant concentrations with the World Health Organization (WHO) Water Quality Guidelines and Afghanistan National Drinking Water Quality Standards (ANDWQS). The WQI values range between 27.5 and 112 (as per ANDWQS) and between 33 and 127.5 (as per WHO Guide-lines); the WQI (WHO) display 9% and WQI (ANDWQS) display 3% of groundwater unsuit-able for drinking. Spatial variation maps (IDW Interpolation) demonstate that turbidity, TDS, TH, and magnesium concentration values for the provinces’s central and eastern sec-tions exceed the permissible thresholds. The study’s findings underscore the need for target-ed groundwater management strategies, including pollution control and regular monitoring, to safeguard water quality and public health in Kabul Province.

A comprehensive analysis of groundwater quality: Geospatial and multivariate approaches in Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu, India

This study found that advanced and traditional chlorination water purification processes significantly reduced turbidity and concentrations of ammonia-N (NH3-N), nitrite nitrogen, iron, and manganese. Pellet-softening treatment was effective in reducing alkalinity and total hardness (TH) concentrations. Low TH concentrations are known to reduce cardiovascular death rate. Both total organic compound (TOC) and total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations are typically considered precursors of trihalomethanes (THMS) and haloacetic acid (HAA5). In this study, advanced and traditional chlorination water purification processes were not effective in reducing TOC and TDS concentrations. In the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), the THMS and HAA5 were efficiently removed by flocculation/sedimentation and the biological activated carbon (BAC) treatment processes. Postchlorination can reproduce THMS and HAA5 levels in a freshwater reservoir. Bromate concentration's lower detection limit were treated by the ozonation process during the study periods. Advanced treatment processes should controlled the doses of ozone and postchlorine to avoid produce DBPs.

The groundwater quality plays a vital role in domestic, industrial and agricultural water supply. However, seawater intrusion was one of the major problems occur worldwide in the coastal aquifers due to excessive pumping of fresh groundwater. Thus, groundwater gets contaminated due to seawater intrusion, disposal of industrial waste etc. Due to this reason, it becomes necessary for regular monitoring of groundwater quality, in order to take proper measures for avoiding and reducing contamination. Hence, the present study was aimed to assess water quality in Nethravathi and Gurpur river confluence, located on the west coast of India. Groundwater samples were collected for the month of January 2013–May 2017, which was further analysed in the laboratory as per Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) standards. The water quality parameters considered for analysis are Potential Hydrogen (pH), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Electrical conductivity (EC), Chloride (Cl), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Total Hardness (TH) and Bicarbonate (HCO3). The results of these parameters were further mapped using Geographical Information System (GIS) to visualize spatial distribution. The geo-statistical analysis was also carried out using SPSS tool to know the correlation of these parameters. The regression analysis was carried out with Factor of sea to the chemical parameters such as Bicarbonate (HCO3), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Total Hardness (TH). The significant groundwater quality chemical parameters were found by correlation analysis. The significant groundwater quality chemical parameters were further given as input for mapping, prediction and modelling of groundwater quality. The prediction of significant parameters carried out using the monthly groundwater quality data for the year 2013 and 2014. The result of spatial mapping and statistical analysis provides the spatial and temporal variation of groundwater quality in the study area. The results showed that only Panganimuguru and Kunjatbail region is affected by seawater. The modelling results of Cl and TDS shows the spatial occurrence of contamination in the study area of Netravathi and Gurpur river confluence at the various time period. Further, the results of the modelling also show that the contamination occurs up to a distance of 519 m towards the freshwater zone of the study area.