Spatial Variation in groundwater quality and Health Risk Assessment for Fluoride and Nitrate in Chhotanagpur Plateau, India

Abstract

Abstract The evaluation of groundwater quality is extremely important to assess the risk to human health. This study deals with the spatial variation in physico-chemical parameters of groundwater for drinking purposes and human health risk assessment concerning fluoride and nitrate. GIS techniques have been used to determine and delimit zones of pollution. Samples were collected in the post-monsoon season (November 2020) and analyzed for physico-chemical parameters such as pH, TDS, conductivity, cations, and anions. For drinking water quality assessment, analyzed parameters were compared with WHO standards, and Water Quality Index (WQI) was used. Results reveal that the majority of the samples come within the desired limit suggested by WHO. However, in a few samples, EC, TDS, TH, chloride, sulphate, and calcium are higher than the desirable limit, whereas fluoride and nitrate are beyond the maximum permissible limit in some of the samples. To assess health risk, the Hazard quotient (HQ) and total hazard index (THI) were computed. The results indicate that the total non-carcinogenic risk for children, male and female ranges from 0.01 to 7.46 for males, 0.009 to 7.055, and 0.01 to 7.34 for children respectively. Furthermore, 84%, 78%, and 82% of the samples are greater than the recommended limit of THI > 1 for males, females, and children respectively, suggesting detrimental impacts on the health of the residents. Knowledge of spatial variation and anomalous concentration is vital for groundwater management as well as health risk assessment. The findings of this study will be helpful to government officials, policy planners, NGOs, and local communities.