Abstract
The function of coal mines has a well-established long-term environmental implication. Though its detrimental effect on atmospheric and water quality is vastly studied and documented, the effect of mine fire on the same aspect is hugely neglected. In this study, we have tried to understand the effect of mine fire on the hydrogeochemistry of groundwater in the Jharia Coalfield (JCF) belt of Eastern India. A total of 30 sampling locations are being demarcated, which are equally distributed in the fire (FI) and non-fire (NF) zones based on GIS and ground observation. The sample was collected during 2018–2019. Water quality assessment has revealed the increase in the most common water quality indicators in the FI zone. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) revealed the presence of three different clusters that affect the water quality of both the FI and NF zones and have the prevalence of different ions in the water. Water level fluctuation (WLF) results revealed the considerable changes in water level based on a seasonal variation that substantiates the porous lithography of the area, which inversely affects the groundwater quality through leaching. The piper diagram plot illustrated that the groundwater chemistry stabilized the efficient mixing of the ions. A comparative health risk assessment study in the area shows the predominance of certain heavy metals in the FI zone, which may have long-term health impacts for both adults and children.
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Data collected and analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
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Prasad, D., Singh, P.K., Mahato, J.K. et al. Hydrogeochemical characterization of groundwater in fire and non-fire zones of Jharia Coal Field, Eastern India, using water quality index (WQI), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and human health risk. Arab J Geosci 15, 927 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10211-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10211-5