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Hydrogeochemistry and quality of groundwater in a part of Damodar Valley, Eastern India: an integrated geochemical and statistical approach

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Abstract

The influence of geochemical processes and quality of groundwater in a rural tract of Damodar Valley region were investigated. The study has distinguished the groundwater as fresh, soft to moderately hard and mainly CaHCO3 type. The paired samples student’s t test shows the significant seasonal variations of pH, HCO3−, and Fe. Amphoteric exchange has lessened HCO3− concentration in post-monsoon which subsequently has caused to drop pH. Quite the reverse, the monsoon precipitation has triggered the additional release of Fe from iron-bearing sediments. The contaminant Cl− is from the domestic wastewater as is evidenced by field observations. The inter-variable relations, cation and anion mechanisms, and mineral saturation indices reveal that the dissolutions of silicate and carbonate minerals are the primary sources of major ions in groundwater. The chloro-alkaline indices showed the role of ion exchange too in water chemistry. The R-mode factor analysis also successfully identified two dominant processes regulating water chemistry—geogenic sources (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and HCO3−) and anthropogenic inputs (mainly Cl−). The groundwater is found unsuitable for drinking at 82 and 93% of wells in pre- and post-monsoon seasons, respectively mainly due to elevated Fe content. The water from more than 90% of wells is appropriate for irrigation uses. The study recommends the proper treatment of contaminated water for consumption and measures to protect the groundwater from the waste water infiltration.

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the Director, CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI), Durgapur for giving permission to publish this paper. The author is thankful to CSIR-CMERI for funding the research work in the form of in-house project. The author acknowledges Dr.Surajit Chakraborty, Assistant Professor, IISWBM, Kolkata for the preparation of land use/land cover map of the study area.

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  1. Environmental Engineering Group, CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Mahatma Gandhi Avenue, Durgapur, 713 209, India

    Asit Kumar Batabyal

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Correspondence to Asit Kumar Batabyal.

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Batabyal, A.K. Hydrogeochemistry and quality of groundwater in a part of Damodar Valley, Eastern India: an integrated geochemical and statistical approach. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 32, 2351–2368 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-018-1552-y

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