Integrated hydrochemical and geophysical studies for assessment of groundwater pollution in basaltic settings in Central India

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 184; no. 5; pp. 2921 - 2937
• Main Authors: Pujari, Paras R, Padmakar, C, SuriNaidu, L, Vaijnath, V. U, Kachawe, Bhusan, Gurunadha Rao, V. V. S, Labhasetwar, P. K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer-Verlag 01.05.2012; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Aquifers; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; automobiles; chemical industry; chemical substances; clay; clay soils; Contaminants; Contamination; Cretaceous; drugs; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Effluent treatment; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental quality; Environmental testing; Freshwater; Geological Phenomena; Geology; Geophysical studies; Groundwater; Groundwater - chemistry; groundwater contamination; Groundwater pollution; guidelines; Hydrologic cycle; Hydrology; India; industrial effluents; Industrial pollution; issues and policy; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Observation wells; Paleocene; Rivers; Studies; total dissolved solids; wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Water analysis; Water bodies; Water Movements; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution, Chemical - statistics & numerical data; Water quality; water quality analysis; Water sampling; Watershed management; Watersheds; wells; India; India, Rajasthan, Bharatpur, Gambhir R; Groundwater contamination; Basaltic terrain; Gambhir sub-watershed; Pithampur industrial hub; Chambal sub-watershed
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-011-2160-1

The Pithampur Industrial sectors I, II, and III, located approximately, 45 km from Indore in Central India have emerged as one of the largest industrial clusters in the region. Various types of industries ranging from automobiles to chemicals and pharmaceuticals have been set up in the region since 1990. Most of the industries have effluent treatment plants (ETP) for treating wastewater before its disposal on land and/or in water body. The present study is an attempt to assess the groundwater quality in the watersheds surrounding these industrial sectors to develop the baseline groundwater quality in order to enable the policy makers to facilitate decisions on the development of industries in this region. The industries are located in two sub-watersheds, namely, Gambhir river sub-watershed and Chambal river sub-watershed. Geologically, the study area is located in the Deccan traps of Cretaceous to Paleocene age. The different basaltic flow units underlie clayey soils varying in thickness from 2–3 m. The aquifer is mostly of unconfined nature. Samples have been collected from a network of observation wells set up in the watersheds. The water quality analysis of the groundwater samples has been carried out six times during three hydrological cycles of 2004, 2005, and 2006. The results indicate that a few observation wells in the vicinity of the industrial clusters have very high TDS concentration and exceed the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) guideline for TDS concentration. The contamination of groundwater has been more severe in the Gambhir watershed as compared to the Chambal watershed. The presence of the impermeable clay layers has resulted in a slow migration of contaminants from the sources. The findings reveal that there is no significant groundwater contamination in the Pithampur industrial sectors except in the vicinity of the industrial clusters, which indicates that there is good environmental space available for the expansion of industrial units in the Pithampur industrial hub.