Appraisal of salinity and fluoride in a semi-arid region of India using statistical and multivariate techniques |
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Authors: | Suman Mor Surender Singh Poonam Yadav Versha Rani Pushpa Rani Monika Sheoran Gurmeet Singh Khaiwal Ravindra |
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Institution: | (1) Centre for Environment and Vocational Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India;(2) Department of Energy and Environmental Science, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, 125055, India;(3) School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India;(4) Centre for Atmospheric and Instrumentation Research (CAIR), University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB, UK |
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Abstract: | Various physico-chemical parameters, including fluoride (F−), were analyzed to understand the hydro-geochemistry of an aquifer in a semi-arid region of India. Furthermore, the quality
of the shallow and deep aquifer (using tube well and hand pumps) was also investigated for their best ecological use including
drinking, domestic, agricultural and other activities. Different multivariate techniques were applied to understand the groundwater
chemistry of the aquifer. Findings of the correlation matrix were strengthened by the factor analysis, and this shows that
salinity is mainly caused by magnesium salts as compared to calcium salts in the aquifer. The problem of salinization seems
mainly compounded by the contamination of the shallow aquifers by the recharging water. High factor loading of total alkalinity
and bicarbonates indicates that total alkalinity was mainly due to carbonates and bicarbonates of sodium. The concentration
of F− was found more in the deep aquifer than the shallow aquifer. Further, only a few groundwater samples lie below the permissible
limit of F−, and this indicates a risk of dental caries in the populace of the study area. The present study indicates that regular monitoring
of groundwater is an important step to avoid human health risks and to assess its quality for various ecological purposes. |
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