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Hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater quality and associated potential human health risk in Bhadohi environs, India

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Abstract

The current study intended to assess the hydrogeochemical processes and groundwater quality along with the identification of associated health risk by consuming the groundwater in the local population by collecting 70 groundwater samples for premonsoon and postmonsoon in the year 2015. Gibbs plot nominated that majority of the sample of Bhadohi is from rock dominance. The Ca/Mg ratio signifies that carbonate dissolution is the principal reason for Ca in the Bhadohi environs. Relatively high Na/Cl (> 1), K/Cl (> 0.02) and SO4/Cl (> 0.09) ratios are accredited to the influence of textile effluents on the groundwater. 45% sample in postmonsoon and 40% samples in premonsoon demonstrate high NO3 values which is exceeding the WHO standard for human drinking. Chronic daily intake (CDI) value demonstrates that the residents of the study region are at risk of nitrate contamination originated health hazards. About 48.5% of groundwater samples show a high concentration of iron. The HPI profile shows that 32% of the sample has high HPI values, 17% of the sample has a medium range of HPI, and 51% of the sample has a low value of HPI. Target health quotient values of trace metals in groundwater were in the order of Pb > Mn > Cr > Cd > Cu > Fe > Zn > Ni. The groundwater of the investigative area is fine for irrigation.

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Acknowledgements

The first author (SM) is thankful to the University Grants Commission (UGC) for financial assistance under the UGC NET-JRF Fellowship program (Ref. No. 19-06/2011(i) EU-IV). SM is also grateful to Dr. Anu Mishra and Mr. Shashikant Maurya (IICT, Bhadohi) for their help during the field work and sampling campaign. NJR is thankful to the DST Purse (Phase II) grants (JNU-DST-PURSE-462), UGC DSA phase II grants and UPOE II (ID 170) funds under the holistic development program. Our warm thanks go to the anonymous reviewers and eminent Editor for their valuable suggestions to improve the present form study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India

    Sughosh Madhav, N. Janardhana Raju, Arif Ahamad & Amit Kumar Singh

  2. Department of Science and Technology, SERB, New Delhi, India

    Prahlad Ram

  3. Department of Hydro- and Environmental Geology, Institute for Geosciences, Martin Luther University, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Wolfgang Gossel

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  1. Sughosh Madhav
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  2. N. Janardhana Raju
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Correspondence to N. Janardhana Raju.

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This article is part of a Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on Groundwater quality and contamination and the application of GIS, guest edited by Narsimha Adimalla and Hui Qian.

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Madhav, S., Raju, N.J., Ahamad, A. et al. Hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater quality and associated potential human health risk in Bhadohi environs, India. Environ Earth Sci 80, 585 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09824-y

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