Abhay Kumar Singh

Hydrogeochemical investigation and groundwater quality assessment of Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh

Hydogrochemical investigation of groundwater resources of Paragraph district has been carried out to assess the solute acquisition processes and water quality for domestic and irrigation uses. Fifty-five groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, hardness, major anions (F−, Cl−, NO3, HCO3−, SO42−) and cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+). Study results reveal that groundwater of the area is alkaline in nature and HCO3−, Cl−, Mg2+, Na+ and Ca2+ are the major contributing ions to the dissolved solids. The hydrogeochemical data suggest that weathering of rock forming minerals along with secondary contributions from agricultural and anthropogenic sources are mainly controlling the groundwater composition of Pratapgarh district. Alkaline earth metals (Ca2++Mg2+) exceed alkalis (Na++K+) and weak acid (HCO3−) dominate over strong acids (Cl−+SO42−) in majority of the groundwater samples. Ca-Mg-HCO3 and Ca-Mg-Cl-HCO3 are the dominant hydrogeochemical facies in the groundwater of the area. The computed saturation indices demonstrate oversaturated condition with respect to dolomite and calcite and undersaturated with gypsum and fluorite. A comparison of groundwater quality parameters in relation to specified limits for drinking water shows that concentrations of TDS, F−, NO3− and total hardness exceed the desirable limits in many water samples. Quality assessment for irrigation uses reveal that the groundwater is good for irrigation. However, values of salinity, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), %Na and Kelley index are exceeding the prescribed limit at some sites, demanding adequate drainage and water management plan for the area.

Evaluation of hydrogeochemical processes and groundwater quality in the Jhansi district of Bundelkhand region, India

A base line study involving analysis of groundwater samples from the Jhansi district were carried out to determine the major and trace element chemistry and to assess the hydrogeochemical processes and water quality for domestic and irrigation uses. Study results show that groundwater is mildly acidic to alkaline in nature and HCO3−, Cl−, Ca2+, Na+ and Mg2+ are the major contributing ions for the dissolved loads. The data plotted on the Gibbs and Piper diagrams reveal that the groundwater chemistry is mainly controlled by rock weathering with secondary contribution from anthropogenic sources. In a majority of the groundwater samples, alkaline earth metals exceed alkalies and weak acid dominate over strong acids. Ca–Mg–HCO3 is the dominant hydrogeochemical facies in the majority of the groundwater samples. The computed saturation indices demonstrate that groundwater is oversaturated with respect to dolomite and calcite. Kaolinite is the possible mineral that is in equilibrium with the water, implying that the groundwater chemistry favors kaolinite formation. A comparison of groundwater quality parameters in relation to specified limits for drinking water shows that the concentrations of TDS, F−, NO3−, total hardness and Fe are exceeding the desirable limits in many water samples. Quality assessment for irrigation uses reveal that the groundwater is of good to suitable category. Higher salinity and residual sodium carbonate values at some sites restrict the suitability of groundwater and need an adequate drainage and water management plan for the area.

Assessment of human health risk for heavy metals in fish and shrimp collected from Subarnarekha river, India

Five fish species and one shrimp species from the Subarnarekha river were analyzed for heavy metals using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The geometric mean concentration of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cr, Co, and Sr for all the samples was found to be 0.248, 0.031, 5.16, 104.9, 0.121, 4.68, 52.2, 0.784, 0.207, and 42.86 mg kg−1fresh, respectively. The concentrations of metals in the fish and shrimp exceed the limits of Indian and FAO standards for food for As, Cu, Ni, Cd, and Zn in many samples. The mean target hazard quotient (THQ) values for the 10 metals were below one for all the samples; however, the maximum THQ was more than one for shrimp in case of As, Cu, and Cr. The results indicate that the concentration of metals in some species, especially shrimp, at some locations is alarming and do present an appreciable hazard risk on human health.

Risk Assessment Due to Intake of Metals in Groundwater of East Bokaro Coalfield, Jharkhand, India

Metals can be apprehended in the groundwater regime of East Bokaro coalfield known for its extensive medium-coking coal mining. To assess the metal pollution in groundwater, 32 samples were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Analysis of the results reveals that Fe and Mn exceeded the drinking water standards at most of the locations, while Ni and Cd exceeded the limits at few locations. To assess the risk due to intake of metals through drinking water, hazard quotient (HQ) was calculated using the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency method. Considering the mean concentration, the HQs of the metals were below 1 posing no threat to the people. However, considering the metals of each location, the HQ of Mn was above 1 at few locations posing risk to the local inhabitants. Also the hazard index was found to be greater than unity in many of the locations.

Hydrogeochemical analysis and evaluation of surface water quality of Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, India

The hydrogeochemical study of surface water in Pratapgarh district has been carried out to assess the major ion chemistry and water quality for drinking and domestic purposes. For this purpose, twenty-five surface water samples were collected from river, ponds and canals and analysed for pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, hardness, major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+), major anions (HCO3−, F−, Cl−, NO3−, SO42−) and dissolved silica concentration. The analytical results show mildly acidic to alkaline nature of surface water resources of Pratapgarh district. HCO3− and Cl− are the dominant anions, while cation chemistry is dominated by Na+ and Ca2+. The statistical analysis and data plotted on the Piper diagram reveals that the surface water chemistry is mainly controlled by rock weathering with secondary contributions from agriculture and anthropogenic sources. Ca2+–Mg2+–HCO3−, Ca2+–Mg2+–Cl− and Na+–HCO3−–Cl− are the dominant hydrogeochemical facies in the surface water of the area. For quality assessment, values of analysed parameters were compared with Indian and WHO water quality standards, which shows that the concentrations of TDS, F−, NO3−, Na+, Mg2+ and total hardness are exceeding the desirable limits in some water samples. Water Quality Index (WQI) is one of the most effective tools to communicate information on the quality of any water body. The computed WQI values of Pratapgarh district surface water range from 28 to 198 with an average value of 82, and more than half of the study area is under excellent to good category.

Hydrogeochemical Characterization and groundwater quality assessment in a coal mining area, India

The present study determines major and trace element chemistry of groundwater in the West Bokaro coalfield to assess the hydrogeochemical processes and groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation uses. For this purpose, 33 groundwater samples from different mining areas of the West Bokaro coalfield were collected and analysed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solid (TDS), dissolved silica (SiO2), major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+), anions (F−, Cl−, HCO3−, SO42− and NO3−) and trace metals (Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, As, Se, Al, Cd, Cr, Ba and Fe). The analytical results show the slightly acidic to alkaline nature of groundwater and dominance of HCO3− and SO42− in anionic and Ca2+ and Na+ in cationic abundance. High SO42− concentrations are attributed to the oxidative weathering of pyrite and gypsum dissolution. Supersaturation condition with respect to dolomite and calcite for most samples may result from the dissolution of gypsum after the water is saturated with respect to the carbonate minerals. The data plot on the Gibbs and Piper diagrams revealed that the groundwater chemistry is mainly controlled by rock weathering with secondary contribution from anthropogenic sources. In a majority of the groundwater samples, alkaline earth metals exceed alkalies and strong acids dominate over weak acid. Ca-Mg-HCO3, Ca-Mg-SO4-Cl and Ca-Mg-SO4 were the dominant hydrogeochemical facies. A comparison of groundwater quality parameters in relation to specified limits for drinking water shows that the concentrations of TDS, SO42−, NO3−, total hardness (TH), Fe and Ni are exceeding the desirable limits in many groundwater samples. Quality assessment for irrigation uses reveal that the groundwater is of good to suitable category. Higher salinity and magnesium hazard values at some sites restrict the suitability of groundwater for irrigation purposes.

Assessment of Mine Water Quality Using Heavy Metal Pollution Index in a Coal Mining Area of Damodar River Basin, India

A total no. of 16 mine water (underground and opencast coal mine pump discharges) samples were collected from East Bokaro coalfield during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, As, Se, Al, Cd and Cr were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the assessment of spatio-temporal variations, source apportionment and heavy metal pollution indexing. The results demonstrated that concentrations of the metals showed significant seasonality and most variables exhibited higher levels in the pre-monsoon season. The principle component analysis for ionic source identification was synthesized into three factors with eigen values cut off at greater than unity and explained about 64.8% of the total variance. The extracted factors seemed to be associated to the geogenic, extensive mining and allied transportation sources of the elements. The heavy metal pollution index (HPI) of the mine water calculated for the individual locations varied from 7.1 to 49.5. Most of the locations fall under low to medium classes of HPI except few locations which are under the influence of surface mining and associated transportation.

GIS based evaluation of fluoride contamination and assessment of fluoride exposure dose in groundwater of a district in Uttar Pradesh, India

ABSTRACT Groundwater is the main source of drinking water in both rural and urban areas of the Pratapgarh district in the eastern Uttar Pradesh. Fifty-five groundwater samples were collected from 17 blocks of the Pratapgarh district and analyzed for fluoride (F−) and other water quality parameters (pH, EC, TDS, turbidity, Cl−, HCO3−, SO42−, NO3−, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, silica and total hardness) to assess its suitability for drinking uses. The fluoride concentration in the analyzed groundwater of the Pratapgarh district varied between 0.41 and 3.99 mg/L. Fluoride concentration in about 78% of the groundwater samples exceeded the acceptable level of 1.0 mg/L, while in 70% samples it exceeded the maximum permissible limit of 1.5 mg/L. A geographic information system (GIS) tool was used to study the spatial variation of fluoride concentrations in the groundwater of the Pratapgarh district. Fluoride is positively correlated with pH (0.36) and HCO3− (0.22) and negatively with Ca2+ (−0.23) and Mg2+ (−0.08), suggesting dissolution of fluoride-bearing minerals with the precipitation of Ca/Mg carbonate in the alkaline environment. The maximum exposure dose to fluoride for adults in the study area was found to be 6.8 times higher than the minimum risk level (MRL) of 0.05 mg kg−1 day−1 estimated by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Metal contamination of agricultural soils in the copper mining areas of Singhbhum shear zone in India

The study was intended to investigate the heavy metal contamination in the agricultural soils of the copper mining areas in Singhbhum shear zone, India. The total concentrations of the metals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICPMS). Pollution levels were assessed by calculating enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (