Assessment of groundwater quality in and around Bellary city of Karnataka, India

Abstract

The quality of groundwater in and around Bellary city of Karnataka has been studied. Various parameters, viz., turbidity, pH, electrical conductance, total hardness, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids, chloride, carbonate, bicarbonate, fluoride, sulphate, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc, manganese and coliform bacteria have been determined to evaluate its suitability for domestic and irrigation applications. The higher values of certain parameters at various locations indicate the influence of geological formation and infiltration making the water unsuitable for domestic applications. The values of sodium adsorption ratio indicate that majority of samples fall under the category of low to medium sodium hazards. The groundwater of the study area has also been classified on the basis of Piper trilinear and US Salinity Classification schemes. The presence of E. coli in six samples indicates dangerous faecal contamination, which require immediate attention.