Groundwater Quality Assessment Using GIS: A Case Study of Pavagada Taluk, Tumkur District, Karnataka, India

Abstract

An attempt has been made to analyze the water quality parameters and classify the groundwater quality by using water quality index values for Pavagada taluk. Pavagada taluk having an area of 644.8 sq-km falls under Tumkur district of Karnataka. Concentrations of few physico-chemical parameters have been estimated in 1435 groundwater sampling locations of 266 villages during premonsoon season (December, 2017 to April 2018). The study indicates that most of the samples have higher concentrations of Total hardness, Fluoride, Chloride, Nitrate and Iron. . In about 71. % of sampling locations, the ground water is not suitable for drinking as per IS standards. By comparing with Indian Standard Drinking Water Quality (IS 10500:1991) ,36.8 % of water samples (528 samples) exceeded the maximum permissible limits for fluoride content (1.5 ppm), 36.8% exceeded the desirable limit of total hardness (600 ppm). To represent the spatial distribution of ground water quality of Pavagada taluk various thematic maps are prepared for water quality parameters and ground Water Quality Index values using interpolation technique in ARC-GIS software. These maps help to identify the zones or locations where water is not potable and suitable remedial measures are suggested to meet drinking water standards and to lessen further stress on groundwater resources of Pavagada Taluk.