Assessment of groundwater salinity using principal component analysis (PCA): a case study from Mewat (Nuh), Haryana, India

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 195; no. 1; p. 37
• Main Authors: Krishan, G., Bhagwat, A., Sejwal, P., Yadav, B. K., Kansal, M. L., Bradley, A., Singh, S., Kumar, M., Sharma, L. M., Muste, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.01.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alkalinity; Aquifers; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Calcium ions; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental impact; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental science; Groundwater; Groundwater salinity; Magnesium; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Pollution; Principal components analysis; Rainfall; Recharge; Salinity; Salinity effects; Vulnerability; Water analysis; Water hardness; Water sampling; India; Haryana; Spatial and temporal scale; Mewat; Groundwater salinity; PCA
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10555-1

In the present study, principal component analysis (PCA) is used to investigate the processes controlling groundwater salinity in the Mewat (Nuh) district, Haryana, India. Twenty groundwater samples were collected from salinity-affected areas in the March–April months of years 2018 and 2019 and were analyzed for chemical variables pH, EC, Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Na + , K + , HCO 3 - , Cl − , SO 4 2− , NO 3 - , TDS, and total hardness. Three principal components were selected based on the eigen value, which explains 79.58% and 85.08% of the total variation in the years 2018 and 2019, respectively. The first principal component (PC-1) is identified with salinity, the second principal component (PC-2) with alkalinity, and the third principal component (PC-3) described the pollution. When the yearly comparison was made, the samples collected in 2019 were found to have an increased salinity compared to 2018, which shows an increased vulnerability to the aquifer of Mewat on account of the decline in rainfall recharge. It was also evident that declining recharge also triggered the recharge from other sources; thus, the impact of pollution is more pronounced in 2019 compared to 2018.