ASSESSMENT OF GROUNDWATER QUALITY USING WATER QUALITY INDEX(WQI). A CASE STUDY OF VILLUPURAM TOWN, T

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ASSESSMENT OF GROUNDWATER QUALITY USING WATER QUALITY INDEX(WQI). A CASE STUDY OF VILLUPURAM TOWN, TAMILNADU, INDIA P. Ramamoorthy*1, S. Senthil*2, M. Kirubaharan*3 *1Assistant

Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Mailam Engineering College, Mailam.

*2Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engineering ,Mailam Engineering College,Mailam.

*3GIS

Engineer, Sebasthiyammal Institute of Surveying & GIS Mapping.

ABSTRACT The study was carried out in a Villupuram town is located in Villupuram district. Study area Villuppuram is one of the predominant agricultural district in which 75% of population is engaged in agriculture and other activities for their livelihood. The main water source of study area open wells and bore wells.

Ground water samples collected during the year 2018 and 2019 in and around Villupuram town. The following parameters have been considered for calculating the WQI such as pH, TH, TDS, Ca2+, Mg, Cl-, HCO3-, NO3-, SO4- .The quality of ground water in the study area is fresh to brackish water, moderately hard to very hard and saline in nature.

Keywords: Groundwater, Villupuram , EC, Drinking, WQI etc.

I.

INTRODUCTION

Water is an essential nutrient and plays a key role in the human body. We can survive up to several weeks without food, but only a few days without water. Every system in the body, from cells and tissues, to vital organs requires water to function. Water is an essential product for the sustain life. Water is a most important natural resource, it is a essential human need and is a valuable national asset(Ramamoorthy et al.2018). Groundwater is worldwide important for human consumption as well as for the support of habitat and for maintaining the quality of base flow to rivers, while its quality assessment is essential to ensure sustainable safe use of the resources for drinking, agricultural, and industrial purposes (Ramamoorthy and Rammohan,2018). There has been a tremendous increase in the demand for groundwater due to increase in population, advanced irrigation practices and industrial usages (Ramamoorthy and Rammohan,2015). Groundwater is a large source of fresh water available on earth; water is widely distributed and plays a vital role in both environment and human life. On the other hand, the quality water has declined for the past decades due to the force of natural and human factors (Vadde et al 2018). India is one of the biggest consumer of groundwater, mostly for drinking and irrigation purposes (Shah,2009). According to World Bank (2010), India is the largest consumer of groundwater in the world, with an estimated annual groundwater use of about 230 km3. More than 60% of irrigated agriculture and 85% of drinking water supplies are dependent on groundwater. Urban residents increasingly rely on groundwater due to unreliable and inadequate municipal water supplies World Bank(2012).In India, most of the residents need of groundwater for drinking purpose. World Bank(2010) says India has largest consumer As per the most recent assess of central pollution control board, about 29,000 million litre/day of wastewater produced from major cities and towns out of which about 45% is produced from 35 metro-cities alone (Mangukiya et al. 2012). The quality of groundwater is important in order to support life(Isa et al. 2012).Groundwater quality mainly depends on numerous factors like lithology, rock water interaction, soil characteristics, sub-surface environment, manmade activity, climatical condition etc (Hem, 1989; Freeze and Cherry, 1979; Amadi et al. 1989; Appelo and Postma, 2005; Gholam and Azam, 2012;Ramamoorthy and Rammohan,2014). The significance of water quality in human health has recently attracted a great deal of interest(Ramamoorthy et al 2020).

II.

STUDY AREA AND METHODOLOGY

The aerial extent of study area is 7.22 sq.km. Study area falls in Villuppuram District it lies between 110 38′ 25″ N and 120 20′ 44″ S: 780 15′ 00″ W and 790 42′ 55″ E. It is surrounded on East and South by Cuddalore District. The West by Kallakurichi District and on the North by Thiruvannamalai and www.irjmets.com

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Kanchipuram District. The greater part of it is covered by the Metamorphic rocks belonging to Genesis family. There are also three great groups of sedimentary rocks belonging to different geological periods.A total 20 groundwater samples were collected during the year 2018. The samples were collected in a polyethylene bottles. The analysis of major ions such as TDS, pH, Na, K, Ca, Mg, SO4, Cl, NO3, and F were tested in the laboratory. Analyses of groundwater samples were carried out using the standard methods and compared as suggested by the (BIS,2012).

III.

WATER QUALITY INDEX (WQI) CALCULATION

WQI tools is play major role for characteristic groundwater suitability for drinking (Magesh et al., 2013).

WQI is also used as indicator to calculate the watershed pollution as recommended by Sanchez et al.(2007), Lai et al., (2013). WQI is that the most distinguished tools to impart data on the standard of water. It's a mathematical equation accustomed rework an outsized range of water quality information into one range (Stambuk-Giljanovic 1999). It is very simple to understand for decision makers about quality and possible uses of any water body (Bordalo et al 2001). The standards for drinking functions as counselled by WHO (2011) are thought of for the calculation of WQI. For computing a Water Quality Index (WQI) 3 steps are followed. within the initiative, every of the eleven parameters (pH, EC, TDS, Ca2+, Na+, K+ ,Mg2+ SO4, HCO3-, Cl-, and NO3) has been allotted a weight(wi) as shown in Table: 1 according to its relative importance in the overall quality of water for drinking purposes. The weights are allotted range from 1 to 5. The most weight of five has been allotted to nitrate and TDS due to their importance in water quality appraisal (Vasanthavigar et al. 2010). Weight of 4 for EC, pH, SO4, weight of 3 for Cl, HCO3-, weight of 2 for Ca, Na, K and weight of 1 for Magnesium (Krishnakumar et al.,2015;Vasanthavigar et al.,2010).

In the second step, the relative weight (Wi) is computed from the subsequent equation: Wi = wi / ∑ni=1 wi Where,Wi is the relative weight, wi is the weight of each parameter and n is the number of parameters Table-1: Relative weight of chemical parameters (values in mg/l) Chemical parameters

Relative weight

WHO standards

Weight(wi)

(2011)

wi WI = ∑ni=1 wi

pH

6.5-8.5

4

0.114

Electrical conductivity

500

4

0.114

Total dissolved solids

500

5

0.143

Bicarbonate

500

3

0.086

Chloride

250

3

0.086

Sulphate

250

4

0.114

Nitrate

45

5

0.143

Calcium

75

2

0.057

Magnesium

50

1

0.029

Sodium

200

2

0.057

Potassium

200

2

0.057

∑ wi = 35

∑ wi =1.00

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Calculated relative weight(Wi)values of each parameter are given in (Table: 1).In the third step, a quality rating scale (qi) for every is allotted by dividing its concentration in each water sample by its relative standard according to the rules set down within the WHO (2011) and the result is multiplied by 100. qi = (Ci/Si) x 100 Where,qi is the quality rating.

Ci is the concentration of every chemical parameter in each water sample in mg/l and Si is the Indian drinking water standard for each chemical parameter in mg/l according to the rules of the WHO (2011).

For computing the WQI, the SI is first determined for each chemical parameter, that is then accustomed verify the WQI as per the subsequent equation.

SIi = Wi x qi WQI = ∑ SIi Where, SIi, is the sub index of ith parameter and n is the number of parameters.

The WQI vary and kind of water are often classified as shown within the Table.2 Table-2: Water Quality Index and their status of the groundwater Range

Type of water

% of samples

< 50

Excellent water

1

50- 100

Good water

19

100-200

Poor water

Nil

200-300

Very poor water

Nil

Water unsuitable

Nil

>300

for drinking purposes

As per WQI calculation the study area shows that 95 % of the samples fall in Good water category (Fig:2).

This might be as a result of to leaching and dissolving process of rock salt and gypsum-bearing rock formations (Krishnakumar et al 2015).

Fig-1: Shows the category of Water Quality

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Table-3: Water Quality Index and their status of the groundwater Sample No

Category

Sample No

WQI

WQI

Category

S1

72

Good water

S11

57.29

Good water

S2

60.92

Good water

S12

49.8

Excellent water

S3

75.08

Good water

S13

63.7

Good water

S4

72.86

Good water

S14

92.1

Good water

S5

60.14

Good water

S15

90.82

Good water

S6

64.76

Good water

S16

78.97

Good water

S7

67

Good water

S17

55.32

Good water

S8

82.17

Good water

S18

67.66

Good water

S9

83.99

Good water

S19

62.88

Good water

S10

77.61

Good water

S20

63.74

Good water

IV.

CONCLUSION

Water Quality Index tools was used in the present study of Villupuram town in order to evaluate the suitability of water for drinking purposes. The present reveals that all the collected groundwater samples are fall in good category. The calculated WQI values shows that all the samples are suitable for drinking purposes.

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