Hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater uses for agricultural and drinking and groundwater quality of pollution index in the western part of Telangana, South India.

Abstract

A total of fifty groundwater samples were collected in the western part of Nizamabad district, Telangana State, India. The results obtained were compared with the IS 10500 standard, which shows more than 80% of the samples are unfit for drinking purposes. The results were also analyzed to know the irrigation suitability, where about 80% of the samples are fit for agricultural use. For the major ions in groundwater quality for irrigation and drinking, contradictory locations exist which are majorly caused by geogenic (silicate weathering minerals) and anthropogenic (fertilizers, manure, and industrial effluents) sources. The hydrochemical facies of CaCl and mixed CaMgCl and NaCl water types were dominant in pre- and post-monsoon seasons. The spatial distribution diagrams of the major ions were high concentration in northern areas followed by western and south-western portions. As per the groundwater quality of pollution index (GQPI), most of the study region (62%) comes under the low contamination zone and the rest (38%) under the moderate to unacceptable zone. Factor analysis reveals that the study region is predominant of weathering, ion exchange, and anthropogenic inputs of major contamination of groundwater quality.