Assessment of Drinking and Irrigation Water Quality Indices Using Geospatial Techniques in the Coal Mining Region of Ramgarh, Jharkhand

Abstract

The index for drinking and irrigation water quality enhances comprehension of intake by humans, animals, plants, and the environment for sustainable lifespans. With the advancement of human civilisation, the quality of water for consumption and agriculture has consistently. This study seeks to evaluate the drinking water quality index (DWQI) and the irrigation water quality index (IWQI) in the coal mining area of Ramgarh, Jharkhand, through the assessment of numerous physicochemical parameters. We derive these characteristics from 10 field samples and 20 physicochemical factors. We utilised these factors in laboratory studies, applying ArcGIS's Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) methodology for mapping and additional indexing methods. This study employed Pearson correlation to analyse the linear relationship between different physiochemical and water indices. The primary aim of this research is to assess water quality conditions for human consumption and irrigation in mining regions. The study demonstrates that two stations, S1 (47.15) and S9 (47.09), meet the criteria for good drinking water quality. Simultaneously, the fair category includes S4 (64.05), S6 (51.64), and S8 (51.26). In contrast, S7 (89.94) falls under the "poor quality" category, while S3 (325.90) and S5 (119.33) are recorded as having very poor quality for drinking purposes under the most unfavourable conditions in this study. The Irrigation Water Quality Index classifies only S5 (176.79) as unsuitable for irrigation, even though the sample exceeds the allowed level. The study found a strong link between the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and other measurements, including sodium (.95), chloride (.94), and potassium (.79). The results of this study show that the DWQI and IWQI methods with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) integration can be used together to make better decisions at the local and national levels. Local and international authorities are involved in the management of water resources and planning for the quality of water and irrigation.