Spatial interpolation approach-based appraisal of groundwater quality of arid regions

Abstract

Abstract The primary objective was appraisal of groundwater quality during pre- and post-monsoon seasons for irrigation purposes. Good quality groundwater is required for high crop yields in arid regions. A total of 45 samples were collected from wells and analyzed in the laboratory for this research work. Different water quality parameters were determined from these samples, namely electrical conductivity (EC), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), sodium percent (Na%), and permeability index (PI) during the pre- and post-monsoon season. The water types were identified through a Piper-trilinear diagram. Fifty per cent of the water samples of the total basin area fall under the saline category. The local farmers heavily rely on groundwater for the irrigation of crops. Excess use of groundwater for irrigation raises soil salinity. Some parts of the study area are facing serious problems such as loss of crop yields, and low availability of good quality groundwater even for drinking purposes. The results highlight that the study area has a high salinity content (C3) and low sodium (S1). The maps for different water quality parameters were generated using inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation method in ArcGIS 10.3 software.