Major ion chemistry of shallow groundwater of a fast growing city of Central India

Abstract

Nagpur City located in semiarid area of central India is a fast-growing industrial centre. In recent years, rapid development has created an increased demand for drinking water, which is increasingly being fulfilled by groundwater abstraction. The present study was undertaken to assess major ion chemistry of shallow groundwater to understand geochemical evolution of groundwater and water quality for promoting sustainable development and effective management of groundwater resources. A total of 47 water samples were collected from shallow aquifer of selected parts of the city and the water chemistry of various ions viz. Ca(2 +), Mg(2 +), Na(+), K(+), CO(3)(2-), HCO(3)(-), Cl(-), SO(4)(2-) and NO(3)(-) are carried out. The chemical relationships in Piper diagram identify Ca-HCO(3)-Cl and mixed Ca-Na-HCO(3)-Cl as most prevalent water types. Alkaline earth exceeds alkalis and weak acids exceed strong acids. Ionic ratios and Gibb's diagram suggest that silicate rock weathering and anthropogenic activities are the main processes that determine the ionic composition in the study area. The nitrate appeared as a major problem of safe drinking water in this region. We recorded highest nitrate concentration, i.e., 411 mg/l in one of the dug well. A comparison of groundwater quality in relation to drinking water quality standards revealed that about half of the shallow aquifer samples are not suitable for drinking.

Hydrochemical characteristics and quality assessment of groundwater in Amaravathi river basin of Karur district, Tamil Nadu, South India

“…The mechanism controlling the chemical composition of major dissolved salts in water and ascertained close relationships between aquifer lithology and water compositional chemistry was proposed by Gibbs (1970) (Marghade et al 2012). Figure 3a illustrates that the majority of groundwater samples in pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons fall in the evaporation-crystallization dominance and only a few samples are in rock weathering dominance by plotting (Na ?…”

Major ion chemistry of the ground water at the Khoda Village, Ghaziabad, India

“…Based on an analysis of 135 water samples collected and analyzed around the world, Gibbs proposed a diagram now widely used (Gibbs, 1970;Marghade et al, 2011;Raju et al, 2011;Rao, 2006) to represent the ratios of Na + : (Na + + Ca 2+ ) and Cl -: (Cl -+ HCO 3 -) versus total dissolved solids (TDS).…”

Investigation of Geochemical Characteristics and Controlling Processes of Groundwater in a Typical Long-Term Reclaimed Water Use Area

“…Nitrate, which is mainly originated from multiple anthropogenic sources, is widely used to indicate the effects of human activities on groundwater chemistry [47,48]. In this study, the concentration of NO 3 − in sallow groundwater shows an increasing trend with the increase of Cl − content (Figure 11a), indicating the similar sources of these two ions [49]. Cl − is commonly derived from anthropogenic inputs as well as halite dissolution.…”