Groundwater samples from Moradabad city were analyzed for chemical parameters. For present study 58 water samples were collected from different localities on the basis of various land use patterns. The higher values of most of the parameters were found in the area of old settlement, while lower values observed in new settlements. This shows clear impact of land use on groundwater. Water quality data collected from different localities are used in conjunction with multivariate statistical technique to identify key variables. The first four components were chosen for interpretation of the data, which accounts for 77.38% of the total variance in the data set. The maximum number of variables, i.e. Cl, Na, TH, TDS, EC and salinity were characterized by first component, while second component is characterized by DO and Mg. The third and fourth components were characterized by Ca, SiO 2 HCO 3 and K respectively. This shows that hydrochemical constituents of the groundwater are mainly controlled by TDS and EC. For cluster analysis single linkage method was used. The findings of the cluster analysis are presented in the form of dendrogram of the sampling stations (cases) as well as hydrochemical variables, which produced four major groupings, suggests that groundwater monitoring can be consolidated.

Groundwater resources are increasingly being relied on in rural areas for income generation and food security. However, there is currently a lack of simple, yet accessible hydrogeological tools to monitor critical groundwater resources, both for quantity and quality. This is particularly true in developing countries underlain by fractured hard rock aquifers, with low productivities. Electrical conductivity (EC) meters are presented here as an easy-to-use tool that can provide real-time data collection to enhance routine groundwater monitoring. A program was established within a fractured hard rock watershed for over a year in Rajasthan, India to determine the effectiveness and controls of EC as a monitoring tool. Groundwater quality in this region was largely influenced by rainfall, modified by evapotranspiration with recognizable input from waterrock interaction in the later months following the monsoon season. Chloride (Cl −) concentrations were linearly correlated with EC in all of the sampled groundwater, but the strength of the correlation attenuated in the months following the monsoon. Recharge rates were estimated using the chloride mass balance (CMB) approach, and then compared to the recharge rates derived from using EC as a surrogate for Cl − in what is referred to here as the CMB-EC approach. Recharge rates estimated from the CMB and CMB-EC methods were statistically similar (p = 0.44).