Suitability assessment of groundwater quality for irrigational use in Sagardighi block, Murshidabad district, West Bengal

Abstract

Groundwater alone comprises nearly about 80% of the available water for irrigation purpose in Murshidabad and this usage of groundwater for irrigation is yet to increase further in the upcoming years. The present study was carried out to access the groundwater’s suitability for different agricultural purposes in and around Sagardighi block of Murshidabad district, West Bengal, India. Groundwater samples from thirty three different locations around Sagardighi were collected and then tested in the laboratory for various physical as well as chemical parameters such as electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, some major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Fe2+) and some anions (CO32−, HCO3−, Cl−). To further delineate the suitable groundwater zones for irrigation practices, the irrigation water quality parameters such as sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), sodium percentage (Na%), magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR), permeability index (PI), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), Kelly’s ratio (KR) were also calculated. Results show that most of the water samples had low to medium salinity, while only a very few of the samples show high salinity. Piper trilinear plot reveals that the water is primarily of Ca–Mg–HCO3− facies type. The SAR value of majority of the water samples in the study area are less than 10, which is within safe limits. RSC values indicate that the carbonate content is extremely low in the groundwater of the study area. Overall, the results indicate that majority of the samples are fit to be used for irrigational purpose. The findings of this study would help decision-makers in developing irrigation suitability planning and groundwater resource management in the future.

Physico-chemical and Bacteriological Characterization of Groundwater for Domestic and Irrigation Purposes in Santchou (Cameroon Western Highlands)

“…The action of microorganisms, the proximity of latrines and other anthropogenic factors may also influence the pH of water [36]. The pH levels corroborated with values documented in Melong by Mufur et al [13] and in Bamenda by Akoanung et al [4] but were very low compared to those obtained by Ketchemen-Tandia et al [37] in Douala (Littoral Cameroon) and Mukhopadhyay et al [38] in West Bengal. Electrical Conductivity values for all the water samples ranged from 0.05 to 0.25 during the rainy period whereas during the dry period it varied between 0.08 and 0.38 µS/cm.…”

“…SAR values in mg/L of the studied water varied from 1.77 to 2.72 with a mean of 2.19 in the wet period and from 0.81 to 1.59 with an average of 0.98 in the dry season. The sampled sources can be categorised as being of excellent quality when intended for irrigational use [38]. The SAR values in this study were lower at some sites than values obtained by Mukhopadbyay et al [38] who registered SAR values as high as 12.22 mg/L in West Bengal.…”

“…The sampled sources can be categorised as being of excellent quality when intended for irrigational use [38]. The SAR values in this study were lower at some sites than values obtained by Mukhopadbyay et al [38] who registered SAR values as high as 12.22 mg/L in West Bengal.…”

“…Elevated concentrations of Na % in water may unite with carbonates to create alkaline soils. Equally, when surplus Na + combines with Cl -, saline soils result which have the tendency of reducing soil permeability [38]. In this study all the sampling sites registered Na % between 45.39 to 76.20% with an average of 56.97% in the rainy season and are thus considered as permissible for irrigational practices.…”

Assessment of groundwater suitability for irrigational utilization determined by distinct quality indices and information entropy theory in the Indian Sundarban region

“…Numerous investigations have already been conducted on the hydrochemistry and potential of India's groundwater for irrigation (Jasmin and Mukhopadhyay et al 2022). Since there hasn't been a thoroughly investigation in and around the Indian Sundarban region to analyze the groundwater quality for irrigational use.…”