GROUNDWATER QUALITY INDEX, STATISTICAL CORRELATION, SEASONAL AND ANNUAL COMPARATIVE HYDROCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF ATHGARH BASIN, INDIA: AN INTEGRATED EMPIRICAL STUDY

Abstract

This study aimed to explore and understand groundwater hydrochemistry, evaluate the groundwater quality of the Athgarh basin comprehensively using Water Quality Index (WQI) and statistical correlations. Accordingly, the quality of the groundwater was assessed for drinking purposes. Moreover, seasonal variation and annual variation of water quality have been monitored for two consecutive years after systematic collection of groundwater samples and their methodical physico-chemical analysis. For calculating the WQI, 13 parameters (viz., pH, EC, total dissolved solids, total hardness, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, bicarbonate, chloride, fluoride, sulphate and nitrate) have been considered. The analyzed value is compared with the prescribed limits of WHO for drinking suitability. Hydrological facies were evaluated through Piper’s trilinear diagram and Chadha’s diagram using cation and anion values. A systematic statistical correlation study deciphers the significant linear relationship among different pairs of water quality parameters.