Investigation of groundwater quality in hardrock terrain using Geoinformation System

Two hundred sample sites were selected systematically and samples were taken for a baseline study to understand the geochemistry of the groundwater and to assess the overall physicochemical characteristics. Sampling was carried out using pre-cleaned polyethylene containers. The physical and chemical parameters of the analytical results of groundwater were compared with the standard guideline values recommended by the World Health Organization for drinking and public health standards. Thematic maps pertaining to TDS, EC, Cl, NO(3), SO(4), and Na were generated using Arc View 3.1 platform. Results showed that most of the locations are contaminated by higher concentration of EC, TDS, K( + ), and NO3(-). Major hydro-chemical facies were identified using Piper trilinear diagram. Based on US salinity diagram, most of the samples fall in the field of C3-S1 indicating high salinity and low sodium water, which can be used for almost all types of soil with little danger of exchangeable sodium. Majority of the samples are not suitable for domestic purposes and far from drinking water standards. However, PI values indicate that groundwater is suitable for irrigation.