Groundwater Pollution Around an Industrial Area in the Coastal Stretch of Maharashtra State, India

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to examine pollution threat, especially to the groundwater resources, around Tarapur industrial area (also called the Tarapur MIDC area) located on the Arabian Sea Coast in Thane District of Maharashtra State, India and suggest remedial measures that may also be relevant to other industrial areas on the Indian Sea Coast. One hundred and thirty one samples were collected from various sources, such as dugwells, borewells, dug-cum-borewells, effluent sumps, drainage channels (effluent channels), creeks and ocean, for chemical analyses. These analyses show that the area in general is characterized by hard water and high salinity hazard, possibly due to its proximity and hydraulic connection with the sea. Although the potability of groundwater is questionable in certain pockets, it is good enough for irrigation purposes at present. Low pH value and high heavy metal contents in the adjoining Muramba creek water is a matter of great concern and may be attributed to the indiscriminate disposal of industrial effluents to the drainage channels connecting the creek. Muramba Creek is well connected with the Arabian Sea, and there are evidences of seawater intrusion around this creek. Because of the fact that Muramba Creek is highly polluted, and is hydraulically connected with the dugwells and borewells surrounding the creek, it cannot be ruled out that the groundwater around this creek is susceptible to contamination. Unless measures are not taken immediately to stop the indiscriminate disposal of the solid wastes and liquid effluents in open ground and drainage channels, and measures are not taken to maintain the appropriate pH values at the effluent treatment facilities before their disposal, the problem would indeed be formidable one day, and it will be too late then for the authorities to take care of the resulting maladies. Few suggestions have been given for controlling and managing the industrial pollution around the Tarapur MIDC area. These suggestions are relevant to other industrial areas situated on the 7,000 km long Indian Sea Coast.

Hydrogeochemical characterization of groundwater of peninsular Indian region using multivariate statistical techniques

“…Magnesium has many different purposes and consequently may end up in water in many different ways. Chemical industries add magnesium to plastics and other materials as a fire protection measure or as filler (Naik et al 2007). Similarly Cl -and SO 4 2-ranges from 100 to 560 and 20 to 380 mg/l during pre-monsoon, respectively whereas during post-monsoon they vary from 12 to 780 and 22 to 298 mg/l respectively.…”

Geomorphology and its implication in urban groundwater environment: case study from Mumbai, India

“…A number of studies on the hydrogeochemistry of Mumbai have been conducted (cf. Naik et al 2007;Tirumalesh et al 2010;Kamble and Vijay 2011) and the use of GIS in such studies explored (Anbazhagan and Nair 2004;Shankar and Mohan 2006). But a study, melding hydrogeomorphology, hydrogeochemistry and subsurface geology, has not been attempted so far and the present study may be a first of its kind.…”

Evaluation of impact of industrial effluents on intertidal sediments of a creek

“…Each element has been multiplied by the same number in both the cores to ensure that it plots on the same scale. Also to separate the closely spaced average data points, sand, silt, clay, organic carbon, Al and Fe are multiplied by 1000, Ni, Cu, V, Pb by 100, Zn and Mn by 50 different sources including anthropogenic input of metals to the creek, the main source of which can be industrial effluents from Tarapur MIDC area which are continuously being drained into the Dudh creek due to which the creek is almost perpetually full of leaked effluents (Naik et al 2007). However, Pb may be from vehicular source.…”

“…The creek is approximately 23 km long and shows a meandering path from the mouth to the upper limit of tidal influence. The catchment area is underlain by basaltic lava flows that erupted through fissures during the Late Cretaceous Period to the early Eocene Epoch and recent alluvium consisting of sands and clays overly the lava flows (Naik et al 2007).…”

“…The addition of industrial effluents along with municipal wastes has resulted in the deterioration of water quality of the creek (Naik et al 2007).…”