Delineation and Mapping of Ground Water Quality in Kanchipuram District of Tamil Nadu Using GIS Techniques

Abstract

Agriculture relies heavily on irrigation especially with groundwater which is a significant source in many countries. However, excessive use of groundwater can lead to a decrease in groundwater levels and cause scarcity of water. Irrigation requires good-quality water which is governed by dissolved ions. The groundwater quality is greatly influenced by global population growth, climate change and human activities including mining, agriculture, industrial effluents, seawater intrusion, household usage, etc., A study was conducted to evaluate the quality of groundwater for agriculture in various blocks of Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu. The sampling was done during March 2023 and about one hundred and fifty groundwater samples were collected from different blocks of the Kanchipuram district viz., Sriperumbudur(32 Nos), Kundrathur (28 Nos), Walajabad (34 Nos), Uthiramerur (29 Nos) and Kanchipuram (27 Nos). The physio-chemical (pH and EC) and chemical characteristics of the groundwater samples, including the cations Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+, as well as the anions CO32-, HCO3-, Cl-, and SO42-, were analyzed and the resulting properties were computed (SAR and RSC). The pH and EC values ranged from 3.29 to 8.49 and 0.09 to 5.22 dS m-1, respectively. The Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) ranged from nil to 32 meq L-1, while the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) ranged from 0.19 to 34.78 mmol L-1. According to the CSSRI, Karnal Water Quality Classification about 38 percent of the samples falls in the good quality category, alkali water was about 57.33 percent and Saline water was 4.67 percent in Kanchipuram district. The Good quality water was dominant in Uthiramerur block followed by the Sriperumbudur block. The Saline and Alkali water was dominant in Sriperumbudur and Kanchipuram blocks respectively.

Assessment of groundwater quality of different villages of Malpura block in Tonk district, Rajasthan

“…Severe water scarcity is becoming increasingly prevalent in many parts of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. The reliance on groundwater to fulfil the growing demands of domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors has led to the overexploitation of groundwater resources in these areas [5] ,. The suitability of water for irrigation is determined by the concentrations of certain elements that contribute to the specific conductance of groundwater.…”

“…The suitability of water for irrigation is determined by the concentrations of certain elements that contribute to the specific conductance of groundwater. Elevated levels of sodium, in particular, can cause soil dispersion and swelling, which is detrimental to soil structure [5] . This can lead to surface crusting, decreased infiltration rates, and reduced hydraulic conductivity of the soil, ultimately affecting agricultural productivity.…”