Assessment of Groundwater Quality in a Tidal River Basin of the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh

At Shailmari River basin, located in the central Ganges Delta and the southwestern coastal Bangladesh, groundwater is the only potable source for water supply due to incompatible surface water sources.However, salinity degradation along with arsenic and iron contamination poses a serious health threat to the basin community.Considering this, an investigation was carried out along both banks of the river to assess groundwater vulnerability and its quality for drinking by conducting multi-seasonal water sampling campaigns from 20 domestic wells and analyses (both in-situ and laboratory) for several physico-chemical (pH, EC, TDS and major ions) and biological (coliforms) parameters.The results show slightly alkaline groundwater in the study area with largely variable chemical composition, i.e.EC varies from around 1900 to 2700 µS/cm.The abundance of major ions indicates as Na + > Ca 2+ > Mg 2+ > K + for cations andPOfor anions.As per the Canadian water quality index (CCMEWQI), almost all groundwater samples concentrate in the marginal category meaning that groundwater is frequently threatened.Besides, it is not fully safe for drinking as revealed from comparison of geochemical data with national and WHO water quality standards.