A comprehensive assessment of uranium in groundwater using IDW and EWQI in the Sahibganj district of Jharkhand, India.

Abstract

The present study deals with the systematic approach for the determination of overall groundwater assessment in the Sahibganj district of Jharkhand. A random sampling method was utilized to collect a total of 40 samples from the sampling points tracked with the help of Garmin GPS. This study includes physicochemical analysis, the presence of heavy metals in water with an exclusive focus on uranium. Hydro-geo-chemistry and various irrigational indices have also been taken into account. The advanced statistical and graphical method including the Pearson Correlation matrix, toxicological effects of uranium with Entropy - weighted WQI was employed for assessing the thorough statistics about the standard of water in the study region. The sampling points have been spatially interpolated via the ArcGIS-Spatial Analyst tool IDW. The results depict that an exceeding concentrations of Ca, Na, Mg, and Al is found in majority of the samples as the region is rich in phyllosilicate and bentonite mineral which has predominantly montmorillonite (MMT) with minor kaolinite and illinite. The hydro-chemical facies reveal that the quality of groundwater ranges between the salty types Ca-Mg-Cl and the fresh HCO3-Ca having rock-dominance in most of the samples having trend pattern K < Na < Ca < Mg and SO4 < CO3 < HCO3 < Cl in cations and anions respectively. Uranium is found within the limit but the highest value is recorded for certain regions of Rajmahal with concentration being as high as 24ppb. EWQI values of the samples lie in the range from excellent–to poor, conveying the fact that the groundwater is permissible for drinking, irrigation, and other purposes.