Scenario analysis of fluoride contamination in the groundwater in Kerala.

Abstract

The Kerala State is a narrow strip of land in the southwest of India, with the Arabian Sea on the west and the Western Ghats in the east. Recent studies related to contaminant transport in the soil and groundwater in Kerala have reported Fluoride contamination in the aquifers. Due to the poor quality of the surface water sources in the state, the majority of the population in the state depends on groundwater resources for domestic and agricultural uses. When using groundwater for domestic purposes, it is highly important to analyze the quality of the groundwater. This study focuses on the analysis of the Fluoride transport in the soil and groundwater in two different lithological units (laterite and coastal alluvium) in the State. The study concluded that the aquifer in coastal alluvium formation is more susceptible to Fluoride contamination compared to the laterite formation. Keywords- Groundwater contamination, dispersion, diffusion, HYDRUS-1D