Prasoon Kumar Singh

GIS-Based Evaluation of Water Quality Index of Groundwater Resources in West Bokaro coalfield, India

Water Quality Index (WQI), a technique of rating water quality, is an effective tool to assess quality and ensure sustainable safe use of water for drinking. The present work is aimed to assess the groundwater quality of West Bokaro coalfield region for knowing the suitability of drinking purpose by calculating the WQI and using Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques. Thirty three groundwater samples were collected from dug wells during post-monsoon, 2012 for comprehensive physico-chemical analysis. Ten parameters were considered for calculating the WQI such as: pH, fluoride (F ), chloride (Cl ), nitrate (NO 3 ), sulphate(SO 4 2), bicarbonate (HCO 3 ) calcium(Ca 2+ ), magnesium (Mg 2+ ), total hardness (TH) and total dissolved solid (TDS). The spatial distribution maps of the above mentioned parameters were prepared by using GIS, software. The computed WQI value ranges from 21 to 131 with an overall average of WQI value 73. More than half of the locations fall in Excellent to Good category indicating the groundwater in the study area is suitable for drinking purposes.

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.

Evaluation of hydrogeological factors and their relationship with seasonal water table fluctuation in Dhanbad district, Jharkhand, India

Due to rapid industrialization and increase in human population, there has been a tremendous pressure on the water resources. In hardrock terrain, the availability of groundwater is confined to fracture and weathered zones. In the present study, the study area is Dhanbad district of which most of the parts lie on hardrock terrain. In this study, an attempt has been made to relate the fluctuation of groundwater level with hydrogeological factors. The various hydrogeological factors that have been considered here which can affect the aquifer recharge are geomorphology, geological structures, geological formations, soil types, and elevation. These hydrogeological factors have been analyzed for 65 monitoring wells and frequency plots between different hydrogeological parameter classes, and water level fluctuation have been used to assess the relative impact of different hydrogeological subclasses on aquifer recharge. Further statistical analysis has been done for all hydrogeological parameters for each subclass based on mean, median, mode, and standard deviation values to further specify the relative effect of each subclass within different hydrogeological parameter. Based on the findings, it has been concluded that there is a definite relationship of surface topography, geology, geomorphology, soil, and elevation with recharge of aquifers based on their specific hydrogeological properties.

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.

Hydrochemical Characteristic and Quality Assessment of Groundwater of Ranchi Township Area, Jharkhand, India

In the present study, detail investigation of groundwater for the suitability of drinking, domestic and irrigation purposes in Ranchi township area. For this purpose, 27 groundwater samples from wells and tube wells were collected and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS) , major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+) and major anions (HCO 3 - F-, Cl-, NO 3 -, SO 4 2-). pH of the analyzed samples indicates slightly alkaline nature of the water samples. Total dissolved solids of 94% of analyzed groundwater samples were falling in the category of fresh water and 6% in the category of brackish water. HCO 3 and Cl are dominant anions and Ca 2+ and Na + as the dominant cation in the water chemistry.In majority of the samples, the analyzed parameters are well within the desirable limits and water is potable for drinking purposes. However, concentrations of EC, TDS, TH, Ca 2+, and Mg 2+ exceed the desirable limit at few sites.Parameter like residual sodium carbonate (RSC), permeability index (PI), percent sodium (%Na), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) were calculated and plotted to understand the water quality and utilitarian aspect of groundwater for irrigation uses. The calculated parameters show that the majority of the groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation uses. However,high salinity values at few sites restrict the suitability of the water for irrigation uses.

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.

Hydrogeochemical Evaluation of Groundwater Quality and Seasonal Variation in East Bokaro Coalfield Region, Jharkhand

Groundwater samples collected from the East Bokaro coalfield of Jharkhand state, India during the dry and rainy seasons of the year 2012. Samples were analyzed for the assessment of groundwater quality in the study area. The results of the chemical analysis indicate that the pH values were found alkaline in nature during both the season. The major cations in groundwater was in the order of Na+>Ca2+>Mg2+>K+ during the dry season while Ca2+>Na+>Mg2+>K+ during the rainy season. The abundance of the major anions was of HCO3->SO42->Cl->NO3->F- did not change on the seasonal basis. The average NO3-concentration was exceeded the desirable limit for drinking water as per Indian standard in the rainy season. Silicate weathering was inferred to be a dominant process, controlling the groundwater chemistry in both seasons, with lesser contributions by carbonate weathering and ion exchange. Leaching of salts from the unsaturated zone also has a major impact on groundwater quality during the rainy season. The water quality data indicate that groundwater is generally suitable for irrigation. However, higher salinity and residual sodium carbonate values at some sites may limit groundwater use and therefore an adequate drainage and water management plan for the study area is required.

Assessment of groundwater level fluctuation by using remote sensing and GIS in West Bokaro coalfield, Jharkhand, India

West Bokaro coalfield is mostly affected by active mining industries and faces acute shortage of portable surface water and thus, people are very much dependent on groundwater. The objective of this paper is to assess the parameters which have significant impact on groundwater level fluctuation in West Bokaro coalfield by using remote sensing, GIS, and field-based water level data for two seasons. The objective is achieved by preparation of thematic maps of parameters which have significant impact on groundwater level fluctuation viz. geology, drainage map, soil map, slope map, and elevation map using digital elevation model and Survey of India Toposheet in GIS and analyzed with respect to field-collected groundwater level data to determine the overall water level situation of the study area. Based on results and discussion, it has been found that northwest, southwest, and central region of the study area show higher water level fluctuation (WLF) whereas northeast and southeast region have shown lower WLF. Thus, the study have shown that there is definite relationship of WLF with above-mentioned parameters which are physically related to slope and elevation, lithologically related to geology, texturally related to soil, and hydrologeologically related to drainage pattern.

Variation in Groundwater Quality with Seasonal Fluctuation in Jharia Coal Mine Region, Jharkhand, India

Jharia coal mining areas is one of the most important coal mining area in India. It is roughly elliptical or sickles – shaped, located in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand. For the assessment of groundwater quality, Twenty Nine groundwater samples were collected from Jharia coalfield. The pH of the analysed water samples is slightly acidic to slightly alkaline in nature in both the season. In majority of the samples, the analyzed parameters are well within the desirable limits and water is potable for drinking purposes. However, concentrations of EC, TDS, TH, SO4 2-, Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ exceed the desirable limit at few sites. The water level fluctuation shows in the study area for year 2013 is 1.29 to 6.9 mbgl. West and some part of the northern area are facing extreme scarcity due to lower availability of groundwater resource. However, eastern region of the study area has sufficiently available of groundwater resources in the Jharia coalfield. This study is useful for utilization of groundwater resources in mining area and helps in future water resource planning for the area. key words: Groundwater, Water fluctuation, Cations, Anions, Cracks and Fissure, Jharia coalfield.

Hydrogeochemical investigation and qualitative assessment of surface water resources in West Bokaro coalfield, India

A hydrogeochemical study of surface water of the West Bokaro coalfield has been undertaken to assess its quality and suitability for drinking, domestic and irrigation purposes. For this purpose, fourteen samples collected from rivers and ponds of the coalfield were analysed for pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+), major anions (HCO3-, F-, Cl-, SO42- and NO3-) and trace metals. The pH of the analysed water samples varied from 7.3 to 8.2, indicating slightly alkaline in nature. The electrical conductivity (EC) value varied from 93 μs cm-1 to 906 μs cm-1 while the TDS varied from 76 mg L-1 to 658 mg L-1. HCO3- and SO42- are the dominant anion and Ca2+ and Na+ the cation in the surface water. The concentration of alkaline earth metals (Ca2+ + Mg2+) exceed the alkali metals (Na+ + K+) and HCO3- dominates over SO42- + Cl- concentrations in the majority of the surface water samples. Ca2+ -Mg2+ -HCO3- and Ca2+ -Mg2+ -Cl- are the dominant hydrogeochemical facies in the surface water of the area. The water chemistry is mainly controlled by rock weathering with secondary contribution from anthropogenic sources. For quality assessment, analyzed water parameter values compared with Indian and WHO water quality standard. In majority of the samples, the analyzed parameters are well within the desirable limits and water is potable for drinking purposes. However, concentrations of TDS, TH, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Fe are exceeding the desirable limits in some water samples and needs treatment before its utilization. The calculated parameters such as sodium absorption ration, percent sodium, residual sodium carbonate, permeability index and magnesium hazard revealed good to permissible quality and suitable for irrigation purposes, however, higher salinity, permeability index and Mg-ratio restrict its suitability for irrigation at few sites.