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Groundwater Contamination Issues in the Shallow Aquifer, Ramganga Sub-basin, India

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Emerging Issues in the Water Environment during Anthropocene

Abstract

Groundwater contamination assessment using geochemical methods and management were carried out in the shallow aquifer, Ramganga Sub-basin (RSB), India. Groundwater quality in the shallow aquifer is an important parameter to manage groundwater recharge and abstraction for various uses in the RSB. In order to identify the pollution sources and geochemical processes in detail, groundwater samples were collected from shallow (n = 37) and few deep wells and analysed for major and minor ions and trace metals. Results reveal that the water chemistry in the RSB is controlled by the carbonate and silicates weathering and ion exchange reactions. Ion activity ratios and stability field diagrams, obtained from PHREEQC geochemical modeling, show that silicate weathering products (kaolinite and gibbsite) regulate water chemistry in the study area. Results of the present study and previous literatures imply that the groundwater quality in the shallow aquifer is degraded by the vertical leakage of wastewater derived from the anthropogenic sources (irrigation return flow, animal waste accumulation, domestic sewage water) and nitrification process. Hence, management program including periodic groundwater quality monitoring and awareness program among the local populace will help to preserve the groundwater resources in the shallow aquifer of the RSB.

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Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the CGIAR Research Program Water, Land, and Ecosystems (WLE). This work is a part of Gangetic Aquifer Management for Ecosystem Services (GAMES) project funded by WLE. Author would like to thank Dr. Upali A. Amarasinghe, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Sri Lanka for his constant support and encouragement. Author would also like to thank Dr. Neelam Patel, Water Technology Center, IARI, New Delhi, India for her help in the water analysis.

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  1. Water Research Center, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, 21598, Saudi Arabia

    N. Rajmohan

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  1. Earth Sciences, IIT Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India

    Manish Kumar

  2. Water Sciences Laboratory, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Daniel D. Snow

  3. RSET, Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanagawa, Japan

    Ryo Honda

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Rajmohan, N. (2020). Groundwater Contamination Issues in the Shallow Aquifer, Ramganga Sub-basin, India. In: Kumar, M., Snow, D., Honda, R. (eds) Emerging Issues in the Water Environment during Anthropocene. Springer Transactions in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9771-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9771-5_18

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