Groundwater Geochemical Investigation and Quality Assessment for Drinking and Irrigation Uses in Sohagpur Coalfield, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

The present investigation aims to assess the processes controlling the composition of groundwater in the Sohagpur coalfield and its quality concerning drinking and irrigation purposes using hydrogeochemical and statistical approaches, water quality indices, and a geographic information system (GIS). Twenty-seven groundwater samples collected from different sites were analysed for electrical conductivity (EC), pH, turbidity, major anions and cations, total dissolved solids (TDS), and total hardness (TH). The study results show that the pH of samples varied from 5.97 to 8.26, suggesting the acidic to slightly alkaline nature of the water samples. The TDS ranged from 265 to 1450 mg/L with 78% of the samples being in the freshwater category. The Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺-SO₄²⁻ and Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺-HCO₃⁻ are dominant hydrogeochemical facies in the Sohagpur coalfield. The hydrogeochemical and statistical methods show that the groundwater chemistry of the Sohagpur coalfield is primarily controlled by the dissolution and weathering of minerals and secondarily due to the influence of anthropogenic activities (i.e., agricultural practices, sewage, and animal waste discharge). In the majority of the groundwater samples, concentrations of TH, TDS, turbidity, and SO₄²⁻ exceeded the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) drinking acceptable limits and suggested that water is unsuitable for direct consumption. Moreover, the estimated water quality index (WQI) indicated that 52% of the samples (especially from the Dhanpuri and Amlai areas) belong to poor to unfit water categories. High values of EC in 56% of the samples and magnesium hazard (MH) at two sites restrict the irrigation suitability at these locations.

Keywords:

• Coal mining
• hydrogeochemistry
• sources identification
• water quality indices
• GIS

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Director of CSIR-CIMFR, Dhanbad and the Vice-chancellor of JNU, New Delhi, for research facilities. The authors sincerely thank the anonymous reviewers and editor for their comments and suggestions that significantly improved this article.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study was funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, under the BSR-UGC start-up grant (No. F. 30 553/2021(BSR)).