Geochemical and statistical evaluation of groundwater in the Thamirabarani river basin, south India

Abstract

In the present study, an attempt has been made to develop the dictate metrics using a multi-proxy approach, i.e., spatial-temporal analysis, statistical evaluation, and hydrogeochemical analysis for 45 water samples located in the Thamirabarani river basin in Tamil Nadu, India. In order to evaluate the aptness of developed metrics for agriculture and domestic needs, eleven years dataset was analyzed and compared with national and international standards. Monitoring and analysis results revealed that the concentration of calcium and chloride ion was on the higher side in all the selected locations. These higher values may be attributed to the regional point sources such as untreated water disposal and off-peak sources such as agriculture practices. The principal component analysis resulted in 84.2% of the total variance in the post-monsoon season dataset. The major analyzed cations and anions were observed in the following order: Na+> Ca2+> Mg2+> K+ and Cl−> HCO3−> SO42−> NO3−, respectively. Overall, this study revealed that the studied area's groundwater quality was significantly affected by the high salinity in the region, probably due to anthropogenic activities and unprotected river sites.