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Geochemistry of groundwater, Burdwan District, West Bengal, India

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Hydrogeochemical investigations are carried out in the different blocks of Burdwan district, West Bengal, India in order to assess its suitability for drinking as well as irrigation water purpose. Altogether 49 representative groundwater samples are collected from bore wells and the water chemistry of various ions viz. Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, CO 2−3 , HCO −3 , Cl−, SO 2−4 and NO −3 are carried out. The chemical relationships in Piper and Gibbs diagram suggest that the groundwater mainly belongs to alkali type and Cl− group and are controlled by rock dominance. A comparison of groundwater quality in relation to drinking water quality standards proves that most of the water samples are suitable for drinking water purpose whereas groundwater in some areas of the district has high salinity and high sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), indicating unsuitability for irrigation water and needs adequate drainage.

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Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge Dr. A. R. Ghosh, Reader, Department of Environmental Science, Burdwan University, for his critical evaluation and suggestions, which greatly helped to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, The University of Burdwan, Burdwan, West Bengal, 713104, India

    S. Gupta, A. Mahato, P. Roy, J. K. Datta & R. N. Saha

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  1. S. Gupta
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  2. A. Mahato
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  3. P. Roy
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  4. J. K. Datta
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  5. R. N. Saha
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Correspondence to S. Gupta.

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Gupta, S., Mahato, A., Roy, P. et al. Geochemistry of groundwater, Burdwan District, West Bengal, India. Environ Geol 53, 1271–1282 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0725-7

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