Skip to main content

Multivariate statistics and water quality index (WQI) approach for geochemical assessment of groundwater quality—a case study of Kanavi Halla Sub-Basin, Belagavi, India

Environmental Geochemistry and Health volume 42, pages 2667–2684 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Groundwater quality analysis has become essentially important in the present world scenario. In recent years, advanced technologies have replaced the traditional ones which are being helpful in simplifying the complex works. In this study, multivariate statistical analysis is carried out with the help of SPSS software for 45 groundwater samples of Kanavi Halla Sub-Basin (KHSB). The quality of groundwater is determined for various parameters which were analyzed and their concentration is correlated with other parameters using correlation matrix. The PCA technique is applied on water quality parameters, from which four components are extracted with 80.28% total variance. The extracted components suggest that the sources behind the higher loadings of each factor are by geological, agricultural, rainfall, domestic wastewater and industrial activities. Results of the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin and Bartlett’s test conducted have value of 0.659 which is greater than the standard value (0.5). Based on water quality index (WQI), it was noticeably depicted that 2/3rd of the KHSB groundwater quality falls under poor to very poor condition, and hardly 26% of groundwater available is portable. Thus, this study contributes the effective use of multivariate statistics and WQI analysis for groundwater quality. It helps in understanding the hydro-geochemistry of the groundwater and also aids in minimizing the larger set of data into smaller set with effective interpretation.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

References

  • APHA, A. W. W. A. (2012). WEF 2012. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 22.

  • Adams, S., Titus, R., Pietersen, K., Tredoux, G., & Harris, C. (2001). Hydrochemical characteristics of aquifers near Sutherland in the Western Karoo, South Africa. Journal of Hydrology, 241(1–2), 91–103.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aiuppa, A., Bellomo, S., Brusca, L., d’Alessandro, W., & Federico, C. (2003). Natural and anthropogenic factors affecting groundwater quality of an active volcano (Mt. Etna, Italy). Applied Geochemistry, 18(6), 863–882.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Balasubramanian, A., & Sastri, J. C. V. (1987). Studies on the quality of groundwater of Tambraparni river basin, Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Association of Exploration Geophysicists, 8(1), 41–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Behera, B., & Das, M. (2018). Application of multivariate statistical techniques for the characterization of groundwater quality of Bacheli and Kirandul area, Dantewada district, Chattisgarh. Journal of the Geological Society of India, 91(1), 76–80.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • BIS. (2012). Indian standard drinking water specifications IS 10500:2012. New Delhi: Bureau of Indian Standards.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bordalo, A. A., Teixeira, R., & Wiebe, W. J. (2006). A water quality index applied to an international shared river basin: the case of the Douro River. Environmental Management, 38(6), 910–920.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brabec, Elizabeth, Stacey, S., & Paul, R. L. (2002). Impervious surfaces and water quality: A review of current literature and its implications for watershed planning. Journal of Planning and Development, 16(4), 499–514.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R. M., McClelland, N. I., Deininger, R. A., & Tozer, R. G. (1970). A water quality index—do we dare? Water Sew. Works, 117, 339–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cattell, R. B., & Jaspers, J. (1967). A general plasmode (No. 30-10-5-2) for factor analytic exercises and research. Multivariate Behavioral Research Monographs.

  • CGWB. (2007). Central Ground Water Board, ground water year book of Karnataka.

  • CGWB 2016–17. (2016–17). Central Ground Water Board, ground water year book of Karnataka.

  • Chitsazan, M., Aghazadeh, N., Mirzaee, Y., & Golestan, Y. (2019). Hydrochemical characteristics and the impact of anthropogenic activity on groundwater quality in suburban area of Urmia city, Iran. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 21(1), 331–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalton, M. G., & Upchurch, S. B. (1978). Interpretation of hydrochemicalfacies by factor analysis. Groundwater, 16(4), 228–233.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Datta, P. S., & Tyagi, S. K. (1996). Major ion chemistry of groundwater in Delhi area: chemical weathering processes and groundwater flow regime. Journal-Geological Society of India, 47, 179–188.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J. C. (1973). Statistics, data analysis in geology (p. 550). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J. C. (2002). Statistics and data analysis in geology. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Debels, P., Figueroa, R., Urrutia, R., Barra, R., & Niell, X. (2005). Evaluation of water quality in the Chillán River (Central Chile) using physicochemical parameters and a modified water quality index. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 110(1–3), 301–322.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • District resource map (2005). Geological survey of India (GSI).

  • Gangopadhyay, S., Das Gupta, A., & Nachabe, M. H. (2001). Evaluation of ground water monitoring network by principal component analysis. Groundwater, 39(2), 181–191.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, R. J. (1970). Mechanisms controlling world water chemistry. Science, 170(3962), 1088–1090.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, H., & Wang, Y. (2004). Hydrogeochemical processes in shallow quaternary aquifers from the northern part of the Datong Basin, China. Applied Geochemistry, 19(1), 19–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinrich, E. W. (1948). Fluorite-rare earth mineral pegmatites of Chaffee and Fremont Counties, Colorado. American Mineralogist: Journal of Earth and Planetary Materials, 33(1–2), 64–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helena, B., Pardo, R., Vega, M., Barrado, E., Fernandez, J., & Fernandez, L. (2000). Temporal evolution of groundwater composition in an alluvial aquifer (Pisuerga River, Spain) by principal component analysis. Water Research, 34(3), 807–816.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hem, J. D. (1989). The Study and Interpretation of the Chemical Characteristics of Natural Water. 3rd edn. USGS Water Supply Paper 2254, US Geological Survey.

  • Horton, R. K. (1965). An index number system for rating water quality. Journal of Water Pollution Control Federation, 37(3), 300–306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussain, M., Ahmed, S. M., & Abderrahman, W. (2008). Cluster analysis and quality assessment of logged water at an irrigation project, eastern Saudi Arabia. Journal of Environmental Management, 86(1), 297–307.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Indian Standard Institution (ISI). (1991). Indian standard specification for drinking water, IS 10500.

  • Islam, A. T., Shen, S., Haque, M. A., Bodrud-Doza, M., Maw, K. W., & Habib, M. A. (2018). Assessing groundwater quality and its sustainability in Joypurhat district of Bangladesh using GIS and multivariate statistical approaches. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 20(5), 1935–1959.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jalut, Q. H., Abbas, N. L., & Mohammad, A. T. (2018). Management of groundwater resources in the Al-Mansourieh zone in the Diyala River Basin in Eastern Iraq. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 6, 79–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jayakumar, R., & Siraz, L. (1997). Factor analysis in hydrogeochemistry of coastal aquifers–a preliminary study. Environmental Geology, 31(3–4), 174–177.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser, H. F. (1958). The varimax criterion for analytic rotation in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 23(3), 187–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karanth, K. R. (1987). Ground water assessment: development and management. New York: Tata McGraw-Hill Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan, T. A. (2011). Multivariate analysis of hydrochemical data of the groundwater in parts of Karwan-Sengar sub-basin, Central Ganga basin, India. Global NEST Journal, 13(3), 229–236.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, F. W., & Upchurch, S. B. (1982). Identification of recharge areas using geochemical factor analysis. Groundwater, 20(6), 680–687.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lohani, B. N. (1984). Environmental quality management. New Delhi: South Asian Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahloch, J. L. (1974). Multivariate techniques for water quality analysis. Journal of the Environmental Engineering Division, 100(5), 1119–1132.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra, P. C., & Patel, R. K. (2001). Study of the pollution load in the drinking water of Rairangpur, a small tribal dominated town of North Orissa. Indian J Environ Ecoplan, 5(2), 293–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puranik, S. C., Jayasheela, H. M., Somasekar, B. (1981). Factors controlling the chemistry of groundwaters of Sandur schist belt, Karnataka State. Current Science, 50(17), 761.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rabeiy, R. E. (2018). Assessment and modeling of groundwater quality using WQI and GIS in Upper Egypt area. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25(31), 30808–30817.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rama Rao, N. V. (1982). Geochemical factors influencing the distribution of fluoride in rocks, soil and water sources of Nalgonda district. AP Thesis, Osmania University, Hyderabad.

  • Ramakrishnan & Vaidyanadhan (2010). Geology of India, Geological society of India, Bangalore, Volume II.

  • Rao, N. S. (2002). Geochemistry of groundwater in parts of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Environmental Geology, 41(5), 552–562.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reghunath, R., Murthy, T. S., & Raghavan, B. R. (2002). The utility of multivariate statistical techniques in hydrogeochemical studies: An example from Karnataka, India. Water Research, 36(10), 2437–2442.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saeedi, M., Abessi, O., Sharifi, F., & Meraji, H. (2010). Development of groundwater quality index. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 163(1–4), 327–335.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sahu, P., & Sikdar, P. K. (2008). Hydrochemical framework of the aquifer in and around East Kolkata Wetlands, West Bengal, India. Environmental Geology, 55(4), 823–835.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez, E., Colmenarejo, M. F., Vicente, J., Rubio, A., García, M. G., Travieso, L., et al. (2007). Use of the water quality index and dissolved oxygen deficit as simple indicators of watersheds pollution. Ecological Indicators, 7(2), 315–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez-Martos, F., Jimenez-Espinosa, R., & Pulido-Bosch, A. (2001). Mapping groundwater quality variables using PCA and geostatistics: A case study of BajoAndarax, southeastern Spain. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 46(2), 227–242.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schot, P. P., & Van der Wal, J. (1992). Human impact on regional groundwater composition through intervention in natural flow patterns and changes in land use. Journal of Hydrology, 134(1–4), 297–313.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Senthilkumar, G., Ramanathan, A. L., Nainwal, H. C., & Chidambaram, S. (2008). Evaluation of the hydro geochemistry of groundwater using factor analysis in the Cuddalore coastal region, Tamil Nadu, India.

  • Shah, T. (2005). Groundwater and human development: challenges and opportunities in livelihoods and environment. Water Science and Technology, 51(8), 27–37.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, C. K., Shashtri, S., & Mukherjee, S. (2011). Integrating multivariate statistical analysis with GIS for geochemical assessment of groundwater quality in Shiwaliks of Punjab, India. Environmental Earth Sciences, 62(7), 1387–1405.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Subba Rao, N. (1997). Studies on water quality index in hard rock terrain of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. In National Seminar on Hydrology of Precambrian Terrains and hard rock areas (Vol. 129134).

  • Subbarao, C., Subbarao, N. V., & Chandu, S. N. (1996). Characterization of groundwater contamination using factor analysis. Environmental Geology, 28(4), 175–180.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari, M., Shukla, N. K., Kumar, V., Sharma, G. D., Gupta, M. K., Singh, A., et al. (2015). Assessment of ground water quality of Hamirpur district Uttar Pradesh India. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 4(1), 597–603.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tsegaye, T., Sheppard, D., Islam, K. R., Tadesse, W., Atalay, A., & Marzen, L. (2006). Development of chemical index as a measure of in-stream water quality in response to land-use and land cover changes. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 174(1–4), 161–179.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Winter, T. C., Mallory, S. E., Allen, T. R., & Rosenberry, D. O. (2000). The use of principal component analysis for interpreting ground water hydrographs. Groundwater, 38(2), 234–246.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yidana, S. M., Ophori, D., & Banoeng-Yakubo, B. (2008). A multivariate statistical analysis of surface water chemistry data—The Ankobra Basin, Ghana. Journal of Environmental Management, 86(1), 80–87.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD) for providing fellowship to Venkanagouda B. B. Patil. We are thankful to Mr. Manohar Shanubhog, Technical assistant and Mr. Krishnamurthy, Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering., NITK Surathkal, for their constant help during water quality analysis. We extend our thanks to A. Manoj, Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, for his assistance in analysis of statistical data. We are grateful to NITK authorities for extending research facilities to carry out this study.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, Srinivasnagar Post, Mangalore, Karnataka, 575 025, India

    Venkanagouda Bhimanagouda B Patil, Shannon Meryl Pinto, Thejashree Govindaraju, Virupaksha Shivakumar Hebbalu & Lokesh Nanjappa Kannanur

  2. Pilikula Regional Science Centre, Vamanjoor, Mangalore, Karnataka, 575 028, India

    Vignesh Bhat

Authors
  1. Venkanagouda Bhimanagouda B Patil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shannon Meryl Pinto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Thejashree Govindaraju
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Virupaksha Shivakumar Hebbalu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Vignesh Bhat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Lokesh Nanjappa Kannanur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Venkanagouda Bhimanagouda B Patil.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

B Patil, V.B., Pinto, S.M., Govindaraju, T. et al. Multivariate statistics and water quality index (WQI) approach for geochemical assessment of groundwater quality—a case study of Kanavi Halla Sub-Basin, Belagavi, India. Environ Geochem Health 42, 2667–2684 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-019-00500-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-019-00500-6

Keywords

  • Multivariate statistics
  • GIS
  • WQI
  • Groundwater quality
  • Ghataprabha river
  • Geochemical assessment