Abstract
The evaluation of groundwater quality is vital to assess the risk to human health. The present study assesses groundwater quality for drinking purposes and human health risks due to ingestion of fluoride and nitrate through drinking water in Chhotanagpur Plateau, India, using geoinformation techniques. For drinking water quality assessment, analyzed parameters were compared with World Health Organization (WHO) standards, and water quality index (WQI) was used. Results reveal that most of the samples come within the desired limit suggested by WHO. In a few samples, conductivity, hardness, chloride, sulfate, and calcium are higher than the desirable limit, whereas fluoride and nitrate are beyond the permissible limit in 70% and 27% of the samples, respectively. WQI highlights that poor to very poor water is present in 25% of the samples. Anthropogenic activities have played a critical role in deteriorating groundwater quality, resulting in harmful impacts on human health. To assess non-carcinogenic health risks, the hazard quotient (HQ) and total hazard index (THI) were computed. THI ranges from 0.01 to 7.46, 0.01 to 7.05, and 0.01 to 9.05 for males, females, and children, respectively. THI is greater than the allowable limit in 84%, 78%, and 89% of the samples for males, females, and children, respectively, indicating high risk to human health, particularly children. The study advocates properwater management strategies. Knowledge of spatial variation and anomalous concentration is vital for groundwater management as well as health risk assessment. The findings of this study will be helpful to government officials, policy planners, and local communities.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.