Abstract
Groundwater samples were collected from Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India. The district is mainly underlain by Peninsular Gneisses of Archaean age. The samples were analysed for fluoride (F−) along with other chemical parameters. The results suggest that the main sources of F− in groundwater in the district are the country rocks, in which fluorine is strongly absorbed in soils consisting of clay minerals. A strong positive correlation between F− and lithogenic sodium reflects weathering activity. This is responsible for the leaching of F−, which is also caused by the semi-arid climate and intensive irrigation in the area. An alkaline environment of circulating water in the investigated area mainly facilitates leaching of F− from the soils, contributing to high F−-containing groundwater. A longer residence time of water in the aquifer zone, caused by a high rate of evapotranspiration and a weathered zone of low hydraulic conductivity, which promotes the dissolution of fluorine-bearing minerals, is another factor that further increases the F− content in groundwater. Suggestions are made to improve groundwater quality and, thus, the health status of the population.
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Subba Rao, N., John Devadas, D. Fluoride incidence in groundwater in an area of Peninsular India. Env Geol 45, 243–251 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-003-0873-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-003-0873-3