Vol. 2, Issue 8, Part K (2016)
Major ion geochemistry of groundwater in Kalwakurthy area, Mahabubnagar district, Telangana state, India
Major ion geochemistry of groundwater in Kalwakurthy area, Mahabubnagar district, Telangana state, India
Author(s)
R Sundaraiah, Noor Asgar Hussain, Ch Raghupathi and V Sudarshan
Abstract
Groundwater forms the major source of drinking water in the rural areas of most of the developing nations of the world. This study was carried out to assess the major ion concentrations in groundwater of Kalwakurthy area, Mahabubnagar District, where groundwater is the main source of drinking water. Fifty six representative groundwater samples were collected from bore wells and dug wells were analyzed and analyzed for pH, EC, Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+, K+, CO3-, HCO3-, Cl-, TH, TDS, SO4-, NO3- and F. As per the desirable and maximum permissible limit for Fluoride (1.5 mg/l) and Nitrate (45 mg/l) in drinking water and prescribed by WHO (2004) and Bureau of Indian Standards (2009), 46% groundwater sources in the study area is unfit for drinking purposes. Due to the higher fluoride levels in drinking water several cases of dental and skeletal fluorosis have appeared at alarming rate in the investigated area. The study revealed that 43% of the samples were found to be unsuitable for drinking purposes due to excess nitrate (>45 mg/l) content in the groundwater. High Nitrate concentration may cause blue baby syndrome or methemoglobinemia. The wells in the investigated area have been demarcated into safe and unsafe wells for consumption of water with respect to fluoride and nitrate.
How to cite this article:
R Sundaraiah, Noor Asgar Hussain, Ch Raghupathi, V Sudarshan. Major ion geochemistry of groundwater in Kalwakurthy area, Mahabubnagar district, Telangana state, India. Int J Appl Res 2016;2(8):740-751.