Geochemical pathways of fluoride and boron in the alluvial aquifer of the Dwarka river basin, India

• Published in: Current science (Bangalore) Vol. 118; no. 8; pp. 1292 - 1296
• Main Authors: Thapa, Raju, Gupta, Srimanta, Kaur, Harjeet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Current Science Association 25.04.2020
• Subjects: RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
• ISSN: 0011-3891
• DOI: 10.18520/cs/v118/i8/1292-1296

Dwarka river basin, situated in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India is endemic to fluorosis as groundwater contains fluoride as high as 14 mg/L (permissible limit 1.5 mg/L). Co-existence of boron (B) and fluoride (F−1) in groundwater, sometimes acts as a tool to predict the source of fluoride. This research was carried out with an objective to identify the geochemical relationship of these two elements and to find out their source(s) in groundwater. pH of groundwater of the study area was mostly neutral to alkaline, F⁻ generally ranged from 0.1 to 10.6 mg/L and boron ranged from 0.01 to 0.5 mg/L. Fluoride and boron showed a strong positive correlation indicating similar source. Fluorapatite observed in sediment samples was considered to be the main source of fluoride. Clay minerals found in the sediment sample were considered to be the most probable source of boron.