Geochemical assessment of groundwater contaminants and associated health risks in the Shivalik region of Punjab, India
Sunil Mittal, Ravishankar Kumar, Prafulla Kumar Sahoo, Sunil Kumar Sahoo
Abstract
The present study investigates the groundwater suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes in the Shivalik region of Punjab, India. The results revealed that the concentration of Se, U, and F− exceeded BIS acceptable drinking water standards in 18%, 9%, and 16% samples, respectively. Multivariate analyses indicate the geogenic origin for As, U, Fe, F− and SO42−, and anthropogenic for NO3−, Cu, and Cr. The carcinogenic risk of drinking water is in very low (10−6) to low (10−5) category, while cumulative non-carcinogenic risk (HI-1.2) is slightly higher than USEPA limits (HI-1). The groundwater quality was found suitable for irrigation purpose.
Topics & Concepts
GroundwaterEnvironmental scienceIrrigationWater resource managementWater qualityEnvironmental chemistryContaminationGroundwater contaminationEnvironmental engineeringGeologyChemistryAgronomyAquiferEcologyBiologyGeotechnical engineeringGroundwater and Isotope GeochemistryGeochemistry and Geologic MappingRadioactivity and Radon Measurements