Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

This paper examines the quality of groundwater in a 40 sq km region comprising Osmania University and surrounding areas in the north eastern part of Hyderabad city in India. 171 groundwater samples from bore wells in the region have been analyzed for ionic concentrations of K⁺ , Na⁺ , Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, F^- , Cl^- , SO₄ ^2-, HCO₃ ^- and NO₃ ^2-. Parameters such as pH, total hardness (TH), total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium absorption ratio (SAR), permeability index (PI), residual carbonate (RC), electrical conductance (EC) and groundwater quality index (GWQI) have been evaluated, contoured and analyzed to determine the areas of contaminated groundwater. It is inferred from Wilcox plot and Piper trilinear diagram, the samples in the study area falls under C3S1 class and characterized by alkaline. It was found the groundwater in the entire region is too hard for drinking. Groundwater contamination in the study area is attributable to different sources; in the southern part of the study area, it is due to proximity to the river Musi that acts as a carrier of domestic and industrial effluents. In and around Nacharam and Mallapur, the effluents discharged from the several industries are responsible for polluting the groundwater in the region. Regions such as Jamai Osmania, Lallaguda and Lalapet are very densely populated and it is the domestic sewage in this area that is the primary cause of groundwater contamination.
Keywords: Geochemical analysis, groundwater quality index (GWQI), Hyderabad.