Evaluation of drinking water quality index (DWQI) and its seasonal variations in hard rock aquifers of Madurai district, Tamilnadu

  • Authors

    • C. Thivya Research Scholar Department of Earth Sciences Annamalai University Annamalai Nagar-608002
    • S. Chidambaram Professor Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University Annamalai Nagar-608002, Tamilnadu
    • R. Thilagavathi Research Scholar Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University Annamalai Nagar-608002, Tamilnadu India
    • M. Nepolian Research Scholar Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University Annamalai Nagar-608002, Tamilnadu, India
    • Adithya V.S Research Scholar Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University Annamalai Nagar-608002, Tamilnadu, India
    2014-05-10
    https://doi.org/10.14419/ijag.v2i2.2294

  • Groundwater is an important source of water supply throughout the world. The quantity and the suitability of groundwater for human consumption are determined by its physical, chemical and bacteriological properties. There are several difficulties for the accessibility of groundwater resources in hard rock areas as wide and erratic variation of essential parameters (i.e., fractures, joints, and porosity) characterizes the groundwater system. Madurai district is such one among them with hard rock regions. A study was carried out in this district of Tamil Nadu for four seasons (Pre-Monsoon, Southwest monsoon, North east monsoon and Post-monsoon), India to assess the drinking water quality and their seasonal variations through DWQI (Drinking water quality index). In order to obtain a synoptic view of quality of groundwater for drinking purpose, a total of 216 groundwater samples for four seasons are collected representing the entire district. pH, temperature, TDS and conductivity of the water samples were measured in the field using a portable water-analysis kit. Sampling and analysis was carried out using standard procedures.The physicochemical parameters considered for the Drinking water quality index (DWQI) include pH, TDS, cations such as Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+, anions such as Cl?, SO42?, HCO3?, F? and NO3?, Heavy metals like U, Zn, Cd, pb and Cu were also considered for DWQI. The poor water quality may be due to the presence of excess amounts of TDS, Na+, HCO3?, and Cl? in the study area. The spatial distribution of DWQI indicates that poor quality of drinking water is observed in patches in different regions and it varies according to the seasons. The change in DWQI in the region implies the seasonal variations of monsoon may be due to leaching of ions, weathering and ion exchange processes.

    Keywords:Drinking Water Quality Index, Weathering, Leaching, Geochemistry.

  • References

    1. Boyacioglu H (2007) Development of a water quality index based on a European classification scheme. Water SA 33, 101–106.
    2. Chidambaram S, Karmegam U, Prasanna MV, Sasidhar M, Vasanthavigar M (2011) A study on hydrochemical elucidation of coastal groundwater in and around Kalpakkam region, Southern India. Environ Earth Sci 64(5):1419–1431
    3. Chidambaram S, RamanathanA L, Anandhan P, Srinivasamoorthy K, Prasanna M. V, Vasudevan, S. (2008). A statistical approach to identify the hydrogeochemically active regimes in ground waters of Erode district, Tamilnadu. Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, 5(3), 123–135.
    4. Gibbs R J (1970) Mechanisms controlling world's water chemistry. Science 170:pp.1088–1090.
    5. Icaga Y (2007) Fuzzy evaluation of water quality classification. Ecol. Indic. 7, 710–718.
    6. Jasmin I, Mallikarjuna P (2005) physicochemical quality evaluation of groundwater and development of drinking water quality index for Araniar River Basin, Tamil Nadu, India. Environ Monit Assess DOI 10.1007/s10661-013-3425-7
    7. Manikandan S, Chidambaram S, Prasanna M V, Thivya C, Karmegam U (2011) Hydrochemical Characteristics and GroundwaterQuality Assessment in Krishnagiri District, Tamilnadu, India. International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering , Vol. 04, No. 04, , pp. 623-632
    8. Ocampo-Duque W, Ferre-Huquet N, Domingo J L, Schuhmacher M(2006) Assessing water quality in rivers with fuzzy inference systems: a case study. Environ. Int. 32, 733–742.
    9. Prasanna MV, Chidambaram S, ShahulHameed A, Srinivasamoorthy K (2011) Hydrogeochemical analysis and evaluation of groundwater quality in the Gadilam river basin, Tamil Nadu, India. J Earth Sci 120(1):85–98
    10. Silvert W (2000) Fuzzy indices of environmental conditions. Ecol. Model. 130,111–119.
    11. Singaraja C, Chidambaram S, Anandhan P, Prasanna MV, Thivya C, Thilagavathi R, Sarathidasan J (2013) Hydrochemistry of groundwater in a coastal region and its repercussion on quality, a case study—Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India Arab J Geosci DOI 10.1007/s12517-012-0794-0
    12. Srinivasamoorthy K, Chidambaram S, Prasanna M V, Vasanthavigar M, John Peter A, Anandhan P (2008) Identification of major sources controlling Groundwater Chemistry from a hard rock terrain A case study from Metturtaluk, Salem district, Tamilnadu India. Journal of Earth System Sciences, 117(1), 49–58.
    13. Thilagavathi R, Chidambaram S, Prasanna M V, Thivya C, Singaraja C (2012) A study on groundwater geochemistry and water quality in layered aquifers system of Pondicherry region, southeast India. Applied Water Science, 2, 253–269. Doi: 10.1007/s13201-012-0045-2.
    14. Thivya C, Chidambaram S, Singaraja C, Thilagavathi R, Prasanna MV, Jainab I (2013) A study on the significance of lithology in groundwater quality of Madurai district, Tamil Nadu (India). Environ Development Sus. doi:10.1007/s10668-013-9439-z
    15. Thivya C, Chidambaram S, Thilagavathi R, Prasanna MV, Singaraja C, Nepolian M, Sundarrajan M (2013b) Identification of the geochemical processes in groundwater by factor analysis in hard rock aquifers of Madurai district, South India. Arab J Geosci, DOI 10.1007/s12517-013-1065-4.
    16. Vasanthavigar M, Srinivasamoorthy K, Vijayaragavan K, Rajiv Ganthi R, Chidambaram S, Anandhan P (2010) Application of water quality index for ground water quality assessment: Thirumanimuttarm sub-basin, Tamilnadu India. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 171(1–4), pp.595–609.

  • Downloads

  • How to Cite

    Thivya, C., Chidambaram, S., Thilagavathi, R., Nepolian, M., & V.S, A. (2014). Evaluation of drinking water quality index (DWQI) and its seasonal variations in hard rock aquifers of Madurai district, Tamilnadu. International Journal of Advanced Geosciences, 2(2), 48-52. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijag.v2i2.2294