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Geochemical alterations in surface waters of Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, Northern Coalfield, India

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Abstract

Major ions showed high concentrations, ionic strength and chemical activity in the surface waters of Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar reservoir. Various geochemical ratios showed the dominance of silicate over carbonate weathering and major ions such as Na+ + K+ account for about 52 % of the cation budget. The high Na+ and K+ showed sedimentation of rock/coal particles consisting of highly weathered silicate minerals contributed by the discharge of mine water, fly ash mixing during transportation, etc. Further, Ca2+ + Mg2+/Na+ + K+ ratio was <1 (0.92) indicating the occurrence of silicate weathering in the reservoir catchment. The comparative assessment showed that the proportion of Ca2+ + Mg2+/Na+ + K+ tends to be lower along the coal mining belts compared to non-coal mining regions in the world. The Ca2+/SO4 2− ratio <1 revealed not only H2CO3 but H2SO4 also acting as a source of protons for rock weathering. The cause underlying these differences can be related directly to geological substrate and anthropogenic activities.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD), Government of India for funding the study. We are grateful to Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad and Northern Coalfield Limited (NCL), Singrauli for providing the logistic support to carry out field monitoring and laboratory analysis in the study area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Biogeochemistry, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, 826004, Jharkhand, India

    Anshumali, Manisha Rani, Sanjay Kumar Yadav & Ashish Kumar

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  1. Anshumali
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  2. Manisha Rani
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  3. Sanjay Kumar Yadav
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  4. Ashish Kumar
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Correspondence to Anshumali.

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Anshumali, Rani, M., Yadav, S.K. et al. Geochemical alterations in surface waters of Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, Northern Coalfield, India. Environ Earth Sci 71, 3181–3193 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2706-3

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