Abstract
Water quality assessment is essential to ensure viable safe use of the resources for drinking, agricultural and industrial purposes. Deterioration of groundwater quality due to anthropogenic activities is increasing at an alarming rate in most parts of Dindigul district, but limited work has been carried out on groundwater quality and monitoring. This paper highlights the groundwater quality and compares its suitability for drinking and irrigation purpose of Batlagundu block in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu. Eighteen groundwater samples were collected systematically in triplicates during the year 2013–2014. The physical and chemical parameters of the analytical results of groundwater were compared with the standard guideline values recommended by the Bureau of Indian Standards and World Health Organization for irrigational suitability, domestic usage. Further hydrogeochemical data have been plotted in standard graphs such as Piper trilinear diagram, US Salinity Laboratory (USSL), Giggenbach triangle diagram and Schoeller diagram. The mathematical models are used to estimate water quality parameters and to describe realistic water situations. It is proved that electrical conductance is an important water quality parameter. Hydrofacies diagram reported that alkaline earths (Ca2+ and Mg2+) significantly exceed the alkalis (Na+ and K+), while acids of (Cl− and HCO3−) exceed the acids of (SO42− and CO32−). Therefore, the chemical compositions of the study area were characterized by the Ca–Mg–HCO3 water type and Na–Cl type. USSL diagram of the study area revealed that most of the sampling sites possess high salinity and low-to-medium sodium hazard indicated that water samples are poorly suitable for usual agropurposes. Giggenbach triangular diagram indicated that the samples have not gained equilibrium with their host rocks, presumably due to fact circulation of fluid through the rock features. The present research work thus concludes that groundwater in the study area is chemically unsuitable for domestic and agricultural uses. It is recommended to carry out a continuous water quality monitoring program and development of effective management practices for utilization of water resources.
Highlights
Water, the elixir of life, is a prime natural resource, a basic human need and a precious national asset
The collected groundwater samples of the study area showed room temperature and ranged between 16.8 and 24.5 °C. This means that groundwater in the study area has not been affected by geothermal heat which is insignificant at those depths
The hydrochemical analysis of the study area reveals that the groundwater is highly contaminated in Middle street (S5) of Batlagundu block in Dindigul district
Summary
The elixir of life, is a prime natural resource, a basic human need and a precious national asset. Applied Water Science (2019) 9:14 exceed the naturally renewable supply, water shortage occurs in the area (Jamshidzadeh and Mirbagheri 2011). Tamil Nadu accounts for 4% of the land area and 6% of the population, but only 3% of the water resources of the country. The quality of water for irrigation is determined by the concentration and composition of dissolved ions which are generally governed by lithology of subsurface, velocity and quantity of groundwater flow, nature of geochemical reactions, solubility of salts and various anthropogenic activities (Tamma et al 2015). Groundwater quality variation is a function of physical and chemical patterns in an area influenced by geological and anthropogenic activities (Subramani et al 2005)
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