Status Of Groundwater Quality Research Articles

Comprehensive integrated index-based geochemistry and hydrochemical analyses of groundwater resources for multiple consumptions under coastal conditions.

The primary objective of this study was to assess the quality of groundwater in the Guilan aquifer, a principal aquifer in the north of Iran, for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes. In this regard, groundwater samples have taken from a database provided by the Water Resources Authority of Guilan Province, Iran's Ministry of Energy. The studied four main regions of this aquifer were Talesh, Astaneh, Lahijan, and Foomenat. Achieved results were compared with the maximum permissible limit values recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) water standards for drinking and agricultural purposes, respectively. Moreover, evaluation of water suitability for industrial application was determined. According to the different indices, groundwater quality is suitable for irrigation purposes in all studied areas. A Piper diagram illustrated that the most dominant water type was Ca-HCO3 in the all studied areas. This result also is consistent with results from the analysis of mineral saturation index. Accordingly, the result of water quality index (WQI) revealed that the groundwater in the Guilan aquifer could categorize from excellent to poor quality classes. However, the majority of water samples in Astaneh region mostly fall into the poor water class. The calculation of corrosiveness and scaling indices as Ryznar stability index (RSI) illustrated that a large number of the samples could be classified into aggressive and very aggressive categories. The results additionally showed that tendency to form scale based on Puckorius scaling index (PSI) was observed in some groundwater samples. Overall, the status of groundwater quality in Talesh region was noteworthy better than the other studied regions, while Astaneh region is more vulnerable with elevated contents of ions and physicochemical parameters.

Identifying areas of degrading and improving groundwater-quality conditions in the State of California, USA, 1974\u20132014

Areas of improving and degrading groundwater-quality conditions in the State of California were assessed using spatial weighting of a new metric for scoring wells based on constituent concentrations and the direction and magnitude of a trend slope (Sen). Individual well scores were aggregated across 2135 equal-area grid cells covering the entire groundwater resource used for public supply in the state. Spatial weighting allows results to be aggregated locally (well or grid cell), regionally (groundwater basin), provincially, or statewide. Results differentiate degrading (increasing concentration trends) areas with low to moderate concentrations (unimpaired) from degrading areas with moderate to high concentrations (impaired). Results also differentiate improving areas (decreasing concentration trends) in the same manner. Multi-year to decadal groundwater-quality trends were computed from periodic, inorganic water-quality data for 38 constituents collected between 1974 and 2014 for compliance monitoring of nearly 13,000 public-supply wells (PSWs) in the State of California. Mann-Kendall (MK) rank correlations and Sen’s slope estimator were used to detect statistically significant trends for the entire period of recorded data (long-term trend), for the period since 2000 (recent trend), for different pumping seasons (seasonal trend), and for reversals of trends. Statewide, the most frequently detected trends since 2000 were for nitrate (36%), gross alpha/uranium (10%), arsenic (14%), total dissolved solids (TDS) (23%), and the major ions that contribute to TDS (19–28%). The Transverse and Selected Peninsular Ranges (TSPR) and the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) hydrogeologic provinces had the largest percentage of areas with moderate to high nitrate concentrations and groundwater quality trends. Improving nitrate concentrations in parts of the TSPR is associated with long-term managed aquifer recharge that has replaced historical, agriculturally affected groundwater with low-nitrate recharge in parts of the TSPR. This example suggests that application of dilute, excess surface water to agricultural fields during the winter could improve groundwater-quality in the SJV over the long term.

Characterization and comparison of groundwater quality and redox conditions in the Arakawa Lowland and Musashino Upland, southern Kanto Plain of the Tokyo Metropolitan area, Japan

Groundwater is essential for the Earth biosphere but is often contaminated by harmful chemical compounds due to both anthropogenic and natural causes. A key factor controlling the fate of harmful chemicals in groundwater is the reduction/oxidation (redox) conditions. The formation factors for the groundwater redox conditions are insufficiently understood. In this study, long-term groundwater quality beneath one of the world megacities was monitored and evaluated. We measured and compared hydrogeochemical conditions including groundwater quality (35 chemical parameters) and redox conditions of five aquifers in the Arakawa Lowland and Musashino Upland, southern Kanto Plain of the Tokyo Metropolitan area, Japan. Monitoring results suggested the following: The main origin of groundwater is precipitation in both the Lowland and Upland areas. The three aquifers in the Arakawa Lowland are likely fully separated, with one unconfined and two confined aquifers under iron reducing and methanogenic conditions, respectively. Oppositely, in the Musashino Upland, the water masses in the two aquifers are likely partly connected, under aerobic conditions, and undergoing the same groundwater recharge and flow processes under similar hydrogeological conditions. The different groundwater redox conditions observed are likely caused by the very different groundwater residence times for the Arakawa Lowland and Musashino Upland.

Geo-spatial analysis of irrigation water quality of Pudukkottai district

Groundwater becomes a vital source of irrigation for agriculture in the recess of rainfall. The acceptable groundwater quality becomes essential for agriculture not only to get the utmost crop yield but also to protect the land from degradation. The main intent of the study is to investigate the condition of groundwater quality for crop irrigation of Pudukkottai districts using an irrigation water quality index. To achieve the objective of the study, the entire Pudukkottai district groundwater samples have been collected from twenty-six wells in the year 2000 and 2015. The water quality parameters of total dissolved substance, sodium adsorption ratio, electrical conductivity, sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca+2), magnesium (Mg+2), bicarbonate (HCO3), chlorine (Cl−) and pH have been analyzed. The study concludes that irrigation water quality has been reduced throughout the year from 2000 to 2015, and a water quality index additionally shows the worst-case situation in terms of the status of irrigational groundwater quality of the Pudukkottai district which ends up in land degradation.

Assessment of groundwater quality status by using water quality index (WQI) and geographic information system (GIS) approaches: a case study of the Bokaro district, India

One hundred two groundwater samples were collected from the Bokaro district of Jharkhand state, India, during the pre-and post-monsoon seasons of the year 2014–2015. In the present study, groundwater samples were analysed for pH, TDS, TH, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, SO42−, HCO3−, F− and NO3− to evaluate the suitability of the groundwater for drinking purposes through geographic information system (GIS)-based water quality index (WQI) model. For quality assessment, values of analysed parameters of the groundwater samples were compared with the Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) and World Health Organization (WHO) water quality standards. The analytical results indicate slightly acidic to slightly alkaline nature of the groundwater in the study area. Concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3−, F−, NO3−, TDS and TH exceeded the desirable as well as permissible limits of drinking water quality standards recommended by the BIS (Indian Standard Drinking Water Specification, 2012) and WHO (Guidelines for drinking water quality: training pack, WHO, Geneva, 2004) in the study area during the pre- and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. However, Na+, K+, Cl− and SO42− concentrations were within the permissible limits during both seasons. The hydrochemical analysis of the studied groundwater samples documented with ternary and Durov diagram revealed that most of the groundwater samples belong to HCO3− type of anions facies and no dominant type of cation facies. The GIS-based WQI maps for the study area indicate that the poor quality of water was found the maximum in the pre-monsoon season as compared to the post-monsoon season in the study area, respectively. The high values of WQI in the several groundwater samples of the Bokaro district indicate that water is not suitable for direct consumptions and it required sustainable treatment before its utilization for drinking uses.

Evaluating the Impact of Seasonal Variability on Groundwater Quality using Multivariate Analysis of Variance

Groundwater which constitutes high percent of the global fresh water is one of the most important sources of drinking water. When polluted, groundwater has deleterious effects on its users. Consequently, the quality and pollution of groundwater is a health concern in the world. The focus of the study is to evaluate the impact of seasonal variation on the quality of groundwater within the study areaHundred (100) boreholes spread to cover the study area were sampled. The water samples were analyzed using standard procedures for assessing drinking water qualities in order to determine the condition of groundwater quality within the study area. Statistical analysis of the groundwater quality data was done using weighted average index method to determine the water quality index and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to assess the impact of seasonal variation. Result of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) which was employed to assess the presence of seasonal variability revealed that the calculated partial Eta squared of the Pillai’s trace statistics was 1.00 which indicates 100% variability among the dependent variables occasioned by seasonal change. Keywords: Multivariate statistics, Seasonal variation, Water quality index, Pillai’s trace statistics and Partial Eta squared. DOI : 10.7176/CMR/11-10-05 Publication date: December 31 st 2019

Studies on the Quality and Vulnerability of Groundwater to Contamination

To effectively and properly protect groundwater, it is crucial being able to identify areas where groundwater may be most vulnerable to contamination and translate this information into vulnerability maps that can be used by potential end-users, such as land and water-resources managers to prevent or minimize harmful impacts on groundwater quality. The focus of the study is to evaluate the quality of groundwater around the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority in Nigeria and assess the aquifer characteristics and its vulnerability to contamination About hundred (100) boreholes spread to cover the study area were sampled. The water samples were analyzed using standard procedures for assessing drinking water qualities in order to understand the existing condition of groundwater quality within the study area. In addition, existing borehole logs were acquired and lithological mapping of the study area was done to acquire relevant data that was needed to generate thematic maps such as; depth to groundwater map, aquifer recharge map, aquifer media map, soil media map, hydraulic conductivity map and the vadose zone map. The topographic map of the study area was generated from the digital elevation model (DEM). To generate the groundwater contamination map, pairwise overlay analysis using geographic information systems (GIS) was employed.Based on the final DRASTIC map, it was observed that most of the locations from where water samples were collected fell within the light brown colouration with computed DRASTIC index of between (140-160) indicating high rate of vulnerability of the aquifer to contamination. Keywords: DRASTIC, Groundwater quality, Lithological mapping, Overlay analysis, Aquifer media. DOI : 10.7176/IKM/9-11-05 Publication date: December 31 st 2019

Assessment of soil and groundwater contamination at a former Tannery district in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The uncontrolled and unplanned development of leather processing industries in Bangladesh has contaminated land and water, prompting concerns for public health. Hazaribagh, located in the southwestern part of Dhaka, has been the city's principal leather processing zone since the 1960s. In order to alleviate the environmental contamination and public health risks to citizens of Hazaribagh and downstream, a relocation project was launched to remove the tanning industry. However, soil and groundwater quality conditions of the former industrial sites must be assessed and/or remediated for commercial and residential use. Soil was collected from ten sites and tested for concentrations of potentially toxic metals (Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu, Ni and Cd), and groundwater was collected from six sites and analyzed for physiochemical parameters and potentially toxic metals. Concentrations of soil Cr, Zn and Cu exceeded the European Union maximum permissible concentrations. Deep groundwater Cr concentration in one location exceeded the Bangladesh DoE maximum limits; however, deep groundwater is overall of good-to-excellent quality. Spatial variations of soil and groundwater contamination in Hazaribagh indicate that contaminants have not spread laterally. Based on local conditions, current technologies, contamination level, time and cost, and ease of operation, it is suggested that soil flushing, electrokinetics and/or phytoremediation could be options for remediation of affected soil and groundwater in the Hazaribagh district.

Comparison analytic network and analytical hierarchical process approaches with feature selection algorithm to predict groundwater quality

Groundwater quality assessment is important for potability and for industrial and agricultural uses of water. Groundwater quality is a measure of contamination by chemicals, biological organisms, sediments, and heat. Reductions of groundwater quality in some areas due to high rates of consumption have prompted the identification of regions in which extraction will be focused. In this study, geographic information systems (GIS)-based analytical network process (ANP) and analytical hierarchical process (AHP) multiple-criteria decision-making techniques using a fuzzy-quantifier algorithm were devised to model groundwater quality in northern Fars Province, Iran. Groundwater quality was assessed by measuring calcium (Ca), chlorine (Cl), magnesium (Mg), thorium (Th), sodium (Na), sulfate (SO4), electrical conductivity (EC), and total dissolved solids (TDS). A membership function based on World Health Organization (WHO) groundwater quality standards was used to create a fuzzy map of each parameter in ArcGIS. Fuzzy maps were generated for each layer using a trapezoidal membership function. The AHP and ANP methods provided weights for each layer to generate groundwater quality maps. Using a feature-selection algorithm, the relative importance of the factors that affect groundwater quality was determined. The results show that, according to the AUC values, ANP generates higher accuracy than fuzzy-AHP (0.954 in comparison to 0.845). The feature-selection algorithm indicates that Ca, Cl, EC, and Na had the greatest impact on groundwater quality conditions. Using ANP and selecting the most important factors can be an economical way, in terms of time and money, to produce highly accurate information that can be used to predict local groundwater quality.

Impact of sanitation and socio-economy on groundwater fecal pollution and human health towards achieving sustainable development goals\xa0across India from ground-observations and satellite-derived nightlight

Globally, ~1 billion people, mostly residing in Africa and South Asia (e.g. India), still lack access to clean drinking water and sanitation. Resulting, unsafe disposal of fecal waste from open-defecation to nearby drinking water sources severely endanger public health. Until recently, India had a huge open-defecating population, leading declining public health from water-borne diseases like diarrhoea by ingesting polluted water, mostly sourced to groundwater. However, in recent past, sanitation development to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been encouraged throughout India, but their effect to groundwater quality and human health conditions are yet-unquantified. Here, for the first time, using long term, high-spatial resolution measurements (>1.7 million) across India and analyses, we quantified that over the years, groundwater fecal coliform concentration (2002–2017, −2.56 ± 0.06%/year) and acute diarrheal cases (1990–2016, −3.05 ± 0.01%/year) have significantly reduced, potentially influenced by sanitation development (1990–2017, 2.63 ± 0.01%/year). Enhanced alleviation of groundwater quality and human health have been observed since 2014, with initiation of acceletated constructions of sanitation infrastructures through Clean India (Swachh Bharat) Mission. However, the goal of completely faecal-pollution free, clean drinking water is yet to be achieved. We also evaluated the suitability of using satellite-derived night-time light (NLan, 1992–2013, 4.26 ± 0.05%/year) as potential predictor for such economic development. We observed that in more than 80% of the study region, night-time light demonstrated to be a strong predictor for observed changes in groundwater quality, sanitation development and water-borne disease cases. While sanitation and economic development can improve public health, poor education level and improper human practices can strongly influence on water-borne diseases loads and thus health in parts of India.

Seasonal Groundwater Quality Status and Nitrogen Contamination in the Shallow Aquifer System of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

: The increasing concentration of nitrogen compounds in the groundwater is of a growing concern in terms of human health and groundwater quality. Although an excess of nitrogen compounds in the groundwater of the Kathmandu Valley has been reported, the seasonal variations of the fate of the nitrogen compounds and their relationships to the subsurface sediments are unknown. In this study, spatially distributed shallow dug well samples were collected during both the dry and wet seasons of 2016, and the nitrogen compound, chloride (Cl−), and iron (Fe2+) concentrations were analyzed. Two shallow dug wells and one deep tube well were monitored monthly for 2 years. Although NH4-N concentrations were similar in the clay-dominated areas during both seasons (1 and 0.9 mg-N/L), they were lower in the gravel-dominated areas during wet season (1.8 > 0.6 mg-N/L). The NO3-N concentration differed depending upon the soil type which increased during the wet season (clay 4.9 < 13.6 mg-N/L and gravel 2.5 < 6.8 mg-N/L). The Fe2+ concentration, however, was low during the wet season (clay 2.7 > 0.4 mg/L and gravel 2.8 > 0.3 mg/L). Long-term analysis showed higher fluctuation of nitrogen compounds in the gravel-bearing areas than in the clay-bearing areas.

Groundwater quality assessment using multivariate statistical technique and hydro-chemical facies in Birbhum District, West Bengal, India

The assessment of quality of groundwater is an important issue in the present era of population growth, massive agricultural development, industrialization and urbanization. As the demand of groundwater increases, the quality becomes deteriorated. In this background, the study of groundwater quality in Birbhum District is very much important as this area has been characterized by diversified rock formations. For the analysis purpose, 14 parameters regarding the hydro-chemical data of groundwater, viz. PH, electrical conductivity, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, chloride, sulfate, fluoride, silicon dioxide, phosphate and iron, were selected. The present study has been carried out using multivariate statistical method, viz. principle component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. In addition, different hydro-chemical facies in terms of hydro-chemical diagrams have been used to show the present status of groundwater quality in the concerned area. The result of PCA, a multivariate statistical technique, reveals that it extracts five major factors accounting for 80% of the total variance. Fluoride has been extracted as first factor. It is because the western part of the district has been characterized by highly fluoride contaminated area where basaltic terrain is present. The study also shows concentration of cation and anion that are present in the order of Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ = Cl− > HCO3− > SO42−. Two clusters have been prepared: one for sample villages and another for chemical components. Sample village-wise cluster reveals that Baidyanath, Muluk, Khayrasole, Md Bazaar, Patel Nagar, etc. bear same chemical characteristics, while chemical component cluster shows the homogeneous grouping among PH, PO4, Sio2, Fe. Diagrammatic presentation of chemical parameters is also an important aspect in this study. Here application of Wilcox diagram basically depicts the nature of water for the suitability of irrigation. It shows that about 50% samples out of total sample have been characterized by excellent to good, the rest 25% samples present in good to permissible category, 20% are under the category of permissible to doubtful and 5% belong to the category of doubtful to unsuitable, while Gibbs mechanism displays 68% samples belonging to the category of rock dominance and the rest 32% in precipitation dominance category. This kind of study obviously demand an important space as groundwater quality is directly related to human health. So, for the sustainable development of human health, this type of study opens a new dimension for the betterment of the society and the concerned region.

Analyzing Geospatial Trends of Groundwater Quality in Sargodha City, Punjab, Pakistan

Groundwater is a primary source for drinking and domestic use in urban centers of Pakistan. The continuingprocess of urbanization and the recent rising trend in urban population is leading to overexploitation of groundwater inthe study area. Present research explains the groundwater quality status in Sargodha city, Punjab. In this area, the urbanpopulation has almost doubled since 2000. Present study focuses on physicochemical parameters of groundwatersamples collected from pre-determined boreholes in Sargodha city. One hundred water samples were collected throughrandom proportionate sampling method from the city. The standard laboratory water sample analysis was performed todetermine water quality parameters like TDS, EC, PH, alkalinity, turbidity, taste, odor, drinkability, hardness, ironsulfate, nitrate, calcium, magnesium and chloride. The analysis results revealed that the values of turbidity, EC,chloride, sulfate alkalinity, hardness, TDS are higher than the permissible limits of WHO while the magnesium and pHconcentrations are below the permissible range for drinking water. The amount of nitrate and iron were found in traces.Geospatial maps for different elements were generated using GIS software in order to delineate zones of highconcentrations of these parameters in groundwater of the study area.

Analyzing Geospatial Trends of Groundwater Quality in Sargodha City, Punjab, Pakistan

Groundwater is a primary source for drinking and domestic use in urban centers of Pakistan. The continuingprocess of urbanization and the recent rising trend in urban population is leading to overexploitation of groundwater inthe study area. Present research explains the groundwater quality status in Sargodha city, Punjab. In this area, the urbanpopulation has almost doubled since 2000. Present study focuses on physicochemical parameters of groundwatersamples collected from pre-determined boreholes in Sargodha city. One hundred water samples were collected throughrandom proportionate sampling method from the city. The standard laboratory water sample analysis was performed todetermine water quality parameters like TDS, EC, PH, alkalinity, turbidity, taste, odor, drinkability, hardness, ironsulfate, nitrate, calcium, magnesium and chloride. The analysis results revealed that the values of turbidity, EC,chloride, sulfate alkalinity, hardness, TDS are higher than the permissible limits of WHO while the magnesium and pHconcentrations are below the permissible range for drinking water. The amount of nitrate and iron were found in traces.Geospatial maps for different elements were generated using GIS software in order to delineate zones of highconcentrations of these parameters in groundwater of the study area.

Assessment of Groundwater Quality Status by Using Water Quality Index Method in Ujjain City, Madhya Pradesh, India

During the past decades, groundwater quality has important issues. In this study, an attempt has been made to describe the groundwater quality by using a water quality index (WQI). Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC) divided city area into 54 wards. Therefore, ward-wise groundwater samples were collected from the borewell, dug well and hand pump of 54 wards. Water quality index rating was done to quantify overall groundwater quality parameters of the area. The Physio-chemical parameters like pH, electric conductivity, turbidity, total dissolved solids, total alkalinity, total hardness, chloride, and fluoride were studied to quantify the groundwater quality of the city. The results were compared with the values given by World Health Organization (WHO, Guideline1996), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR, 1963) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS, IS 10500:1991) for the quality of drinking water. During summer, 4% of samples represent “Excellent water”, 53% indicate “Good water”, 39% shows “Poor water”, and remaining 4% of samples shows “Very poor water” (unfit for drinking) category, which recommends the use of treatment technologies, to make water palatable and useful for drinking purpose.

Water quality and microbial contamination status of groundwater in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

Abstract In Sri Lanka, among 2588 Salmonella positive cases, the highest incidences were recorded from Jaffna peninsula during 2005 to 2013. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the microbiological and chemical contamination status of groundwater (40 well water) sources in Jaffna during November 2016. The total coliform, E. coli, Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. along with some physico-chemical parameters of groundwater were studied. The results revealed that entire peninsula was contaminated with total coliform and E. coli bacteria and the parameters recorded were not within the WHO and SLS (Sri Lanka Standards) drinking water quality standards. 38% of sampling locations were positive for Salmonella spp. and among them six sampling locations were being used for drinking purposes. The results of the study correlates with the statistics of typhoid cases recorded in Jaffna. Results of the study also revealed that around 80% of wells were not within the values specified in guidelines of the SLS for drinking water quality on electrical conductivity. Further, 15% of wells recorded greater than 10 mgꞏdm–3 nitrate, which is still below the SLS drinking water standards (45 mgꞏdm–3). According to the water quality data, PCA analysis showed that Jaffna town, Nallur, Tellippalai and Kopay DS divisions has similar characteristics for water quality.

Groundwater quality assessment using a water quality index and GIS: A case of Ushewokunze Settlement, Harare, Zimbabwe

A study was carried out to assess the quality of groundwater and its suitability for domestic use in Ushewokunze peri-urban Settlement, Harare, Zimbabwe. The study area is not yet serviced with water supply and sanitation. This leaves residents solely dependent on pit latrines for sanitation and on groundwater sources for potable water supply. Ushewokunze is divided into Phase 1; with residential stand sizes of 1 500 m2 - 2000 m2; Phase 2 where stand sizes are from 150 m2 to 250 m2 and Phase 3 where residential stands are of approximately 500 m2 sizes. Seventeen hand-dug shallow wells and the only three existing boreholes in Ushewokunze were selected for sampling. Eighty groundwater samples were collected monthly from January to April 2017, and were analysed, by standards methods, for parameters which included turbidity, Electrical Conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen, chlorides, nitrates, phosphates and faecal coliforms. A water quality index (WQI) was determined. A one sample t-test was performed in SPSS software (v23) at 95% confidence interval, to determine the suitability of the groundwater for drinking purposes. This was done by comparing the mean values of the analysed groundwater parameters with WHO (2011) guidelines and SAZ 560:1997 standards. Spatial variability maps of the measured parameters were prepared by applying the inverse distance weighting method of spatial interpolation with ILWIS 3.3. The obtained results for the means were 6.6 ± 0.33, 10.8 ± 8.4 NTU, 68.7 ± 27 mg/L, 908.6 ± 424 μs/cm, 5.61 ± 1.6 mg/L, 72.07 ± 36 mg/L, 1.14 ± 0.06 mg/L and 77 ± 36 CFU/100 mL for pH, turbidity, chloride, EC, DO, nitrates, phosphates and faecal coliforms, respectively. The Student t-test showed significant differences (p < 0.05) between the means for the following parameters: faecal coliforms, turbidity, chloride and phosphates. The averaged WQI varied from 15.41 to 99.45. The high values of WQI in Phase 2 were suspected to be mainly due to the high values of nitrates and faecal coliforms and varied from 17.2 to 83.5. It was concluded that 90% of the water sources in Ushewokunze were not suitable for drinking purposes. It is recommended that residents should treat all the water from the various sources before use. Residents of Ushewokunze should also be consientised about the poor groundwater quality status in their area.

Hydrochemical Analysis and Fuzzy Logic Method for Evaluation of Groundwater Quality in the North Chengdu Plain, China.

Groundwater is a major water resource in the North Chengdu Plain, China. The research objective is to determine the quality and suitability of groundwater for drinking purposes within the vicinity of a shallow, unconsolidated aquifer of Quaternary age. In this study, a detailed investigation was conducted to define the hydrochemical characteristics that control the quality of groundwater, based on traditional methods. Considering the uncertainties linked with water resources and the environmental complications, the fuzzy logic method was used in the determination of groundwater quality for more precise findings that support decision-making. To achieve such an objective, sixteen water quality guidelines were used to determine groundwater quality status in six selected wells. The results showed that the groundwater is neutral, very hard, and fresh in nature. Dominating cations and anions are in the order of Ca > Na > Mg > K and HCO > SO > Cl. The Piper trilinear diagram demonstrates that the hydrochemical facies of groundwater are mostly of Ca-HCO type. Statistical analysis denotes a positive correlation between most of the chemical parameters. The study took the results of the fuzzy logic evaluation method into consideration, to classify the samples into five groups according to the Chinese groundwater quality standard (GB/T 14848-93) for their suitability for domestic use. The results demonstrated that the quality of the groundwater samples is within grade II and III, and is suitable for drinking purposes. The comprehensive evaluation of groundwater quality is critical to aid sensitive policy decisions, and the proposed approach can guarantee reliable findings to that effect. The results of this study would also be helpful to future researches related to groundwater quality assessment.

GROUND WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT BY USING GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM AND WATER QUALITY INDEX: A CASE STUDY OF CHOKERA, FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN

Water quality is considered as a major issue in mega cities of developing countries. The city of Faisalabad has over 4 million population. Groundwater is the main source of drinking water in Faisalabad. The groundwater quality should be regularly monitored in order to cope with the drinking water quality issues. An attempt has been made to understand the groundwater quality by using water quality index (WQI) at Chokera area, Faisalabad, Pakistan. It is a technique of rating water quality, is an effective tool to assess spatial and temporal changes in groundwater quality. Sixty groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for physico-chemical parameters using standard method of analysis. From the data obtained, the water quality index was calculated by adopting the method developed by Tiwari and Mishra. Water quality index rating was carried out to quantify overall ground water quality status of the area. The WQI index of the same has been calculated and the values ranged from 73 to 272. The WQI values from present study indicate the very poor water quality in the area. The analysis reveals the fact that the groundwater of the Chokera area needs a degree of treatment before consumption and needs to be protected from further contamination

Spatial Variability of Major Ion Geochemistry in Groundwater from Uttar Mand Sub-Basin of Krishna River Basin, Maharashtra (India)

This study was carried out to investigate the current status of groundwater quality and spatial hydrochemical changes in groundwater from Uttar Mand sub-basin of Krishna River Basin, Maharashtra (India). For this study, 100 groundwater samples were collected from wells and bore wells distributed in the study area and analyzed physicochemical parameters viz. pH, total dissolved solid (TDS), total hardness (TH), major ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, HCO3−, SO42−, Cl−), and Boron. The data use for the present study is two post-monsoon seasons (November 2014 and November 2015) and two pre-monsoon seasons (May 2015 and May 2016). GIS approach was adopted to describe the physicochemical parameters and hydrochemistry of groundwater. The spatial attributes of the watershed were digitized and employed in overlay analyses. The data of routine parameters (EC, pH and TDS), cations and anions were processed in Arc-GIS software. The spatial distribution maps assist to determine suitable places for groundwater development and management. This work concluded that comprehensive assessment of groundwater quality would help for proper management and planning for future water need.