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Assessment of hydrochemistry and groundwater quality in the coastal area of South Chennai, India

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Abstract

An attempt has been made to evaluate the water quality in the fast-growing coastal area of South Chennai. Groundwater samples were collected from selected locations and analyzed for major physico-chemical parameters. Experimental results show that the water has alkaline with pH varying from 7.2 to 8.2. Concentrations of Na and Cl were positively correlated with EC and elevated levels of these parameters near the coastal region, especially in the northern end of the study area, indicating the influence of seawater intrusion. Piper diagram identified Na–Cl as the dominant type of water in most of the samples. The presence of Ca–Cl facies in the groundwater suggests the possible ion exchange (Na with Ca) reaction in the aquifer. Molar ratios of Cl/HCO3 and Mg/Ca showed a higher value (>1) in many samples, which confirmed the influence of seawater intrusion on water quality. The Water Quality Index (WQI) of the study area ranged between 8 and 116, the highest recorded being at Thiruvanmiyur and the lowest at Muttukkadu. However, total hardness values show that 64% of the samples were hard or very hard in nature. The results of SAR, Na%, and PI show that majority of the samples are suitable for irrigation purposes. A comparison of spatial distribution maps of water quality parameters with those of WQI shows that groundwater quality has highly deteriorated in the Thiruvanmiyur region, located on the northeast part of the study area. Good-quality water is found at the southeast part of the study area, namely, Muttukkadu. This study indicates that urbanization and seawater intrusion have heavily affected the groundwater quality of South Chennai coastal area.

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  1. P. J. Sajil Kumar

    Present address: Brandenburg Technical University (BTU), 03046, Cottbus, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water Institute, Karunya University, Coimbatore, 641114, Tamil Nadu, India

    P. J. Sajil Kumar & E. J. James

  2. Department of Geology, Anna University, Chennai, 600025, Tamil Nadu, India

    L. Elango

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  1. P. J. Sajil Kumar
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  2. L. Elango
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  3. E. J. James
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Correspondence to P. J. Sajil Kumar.

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Sajil Kumar, P.J., Elango, L. & James, E.J. Assessment of hydrochemistry and groundwater quality in the coastal area of South Chennai, India. Arab J Geosci 7, 2641–2653 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-013-0940-3

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