Groundwater quality and associated health risks in a semi-arid region of south India: Implication to sustainable groundwater management

Groundwater is the only water source in the Siddipeta-Vagu (SDV) region, India, and its quality is vital as it is the primary factor determining the groundwater suitability for drinking and irrigation uses. In this study, 51 groundwater samples were collected to assess the suitability of groundwater for domestic and irrigation purposes and to estimate the potential impacts of groundwater contaminants on human health. Discussions on sustainable groundwater management in this study area were also reported. The groundwater quality of the SDV region is severely affected by geogenic sources and urbanization as specified by the distribution of fluoride and nitrate. The results reveal that the highest concentration of nitrate is 348mg/L and fluoride is 3.7mg/L in the study region. The nitrate and fluoride appear as the principal problem affecting safe drinking water in the SDV region. The foremost hydrochemical facies indicate that alkalis exceed alkaline earth and strong acids exceed weak acids in groundwater. The results of sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), percentage sodium (%Na), magnesium hazard ratio (MHR), Kelly's ratio (KR), and residual sodium carbonate (RSC) show that most of the groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation purposes. Non-carcinogenic health risks due to nitrate and fluoride exposure through consumption of drinking water were also evaluated using the USEPA method. Results indicate that the infants are the most susceptible groups to nitrate and fluoride through drinking water in the study area. Therefore, necessary groundwater management strategies should be implemented to control the groundwater pollution and also to protect the populace health in the study region.