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Hydrochemical characterization and pollution assessment of groundwater in Jammu Siwaliks, India

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Abstract

Physico-chemical groundwater (GW) parameters were evaluated to understand the hydrogeochemical processes in the Siwalik plains of Jammu and Kashmir, India. During the 2012–2013 post-monsoon (POM) and pre-monsoon (PRM) seasons, GW samples (n = 207) from deep bore wells and shallow open wells were chemically analysed. Cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ and Fe2+) and anions (HCO3 −, Cl−, SO4 2− and F−) showed a wide spatio-temporal variation. Results suggest that weathering and dissolution of carbonates and silicate rocks is the main source of water mineralization. The major hydrochemical facies is characterized by Ca-Mg-HCO3 and Ca-HCO3 during the PRM and POM seasons respectively. The presence of sulphate-bearing water in a large number of the samples indicates a significant role of gypsum dissolution and anthropogenic contamination of the GW. Factor analysis (FA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) revealed that the variability of hydrochemistry is mainly related to rock-water interaction, dissolution of carbonates and other lithological units as well as the influence of anthropogenic activities in the area. Overall, it was found that the GW quality is within the limits of human consumption. The higher concentration of a few chemicals indicates an increasing trend of industrial contamination of the GW. For sustainable development of the portable GW in Siwaliks, it is necessary to minimize the adverse impacts of the anthropogenic and industrial contamination on the GW resources through best management practices and prevent its further contamination to a level that could make GW unsuitable for human uses.

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Acknowledgements

This research work has been accomplished under a research grant provided by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO, Hyderabad for the project titled “Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM)-Phase IV”. The authors express their gratitude to the funding agency for the financial assistance. The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions on the earlier version of the manuscript that has greatly improved its content and structure.

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  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar, 190 006, India

    Shakil A. Romshoo, Reyaz Ahmad Dar, Khalid Omar Murtaza, Irfan Rashid & Farooq A. Dar

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Romshoo, S.A., Dar, R.A., Murtaza, K.O. et al. Hydrochemical characterization and pollution assessment of groundwater in Jammu Siwaliks, India. Environ Monit Assess 189, 122 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-5860-3

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