Application of GIS to evaluate the groundwater quality for drinking purposes in semiarid region of Telangana state, India

In the present study, the quality of groundwater for drinking purposes is evaluated. The following parameters are analyzed using American Public Health Association standard method: pH, total hardness (TH), total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), bicarbonate (HCO3−), chloride (Cl−), sulfate (SO42 −), fluoride (F−), calcium (Ca2 +), magnesium (Mg2 +), sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+). These values were compared with limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for drinking purposes. The cation and anion dominance of the study region groundwater samples are Na+ > Ca2 + > Mg2 + > K+ and HCO3− > Cl− > SO42 − > F−, respectively. Bicarbonate was the dominant anion and sodium was identified as the dominant cation in the groundwater of the study region. The Na+ and Cl− concentration of 43% and 37% of groundwater samples are found to be more than the acceptable limit of WHO in the study region. Most of the groundwater samples in the study region are categorized as a very hard category. The groundwater is highly affected by the fluoride and about 60% of groundwater samples are unfit for drinking purposes in the study region.