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T. Suresh ¹, N. M. Kottureshwara ¹, M. Revanasiddappa ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Industrial Chemistry, Gulbarga University P. G. Centre, Bellary-583 104, Karnataka, IN
2 Department of Engineering Chemistry, PES School of Engineering, Bangalore-560 100, Karnataka, IN

Abstract

The quality of groundwater in and around Bellary city of Karnataka has been studied. Various parameters, viz., turbidity, pH, electrical conductance, total hardness, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids, chloride, carbonate, bicarbonate, fluoride, sulphate, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc, manganese and coliform bacteria have been determined to evaluate its suitability for domestic and irrigation applications. The higher values of certain parameters at various locations indicate the influence of geological formation and infiltration making the water unsuitable for domestic applications. The values of sodium adsorption ratio indicate that majority of samples fall under the category of low to medium sodium hazards. The groundwater of the study area has also been classified on the basis of Piper trilinear and US Salinity Classification schemes. The presence of E. coli in six samples indicates dangerous faecal contamination, which require immediate attention.

Keywords

Groundwater Quality, Sodium Adsorption Ratio, Piper Trilinear Diagram, USSL Classification.

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T. Suresh ¹, N. M. Kottureshwara ¹, M. Revanasiddappa ², Suresh ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Industrial Chemistry, Gulbarga University P.G. Centre, Bellary-583 104, Karnataka, IN
2 Department of Engineering Chemistry, PES School of Engineering, Bangalore-560 100, Karnataka, IN
3 Department of Engineering Chemistry, Bellary Institute of Technology and Management, Bellary-583 104, Karnataka, IN

Abstract

The study area was undertaken in the serial hillocks mining area of Bellary taluk located in the Bellary district, Karnataka. The important geological formations in this area were Archean granites (pink to grey), schists/phyllites and peninsular gneiss. The assessment of water quality for its suitability for agricultural and domestic purposes was carried out. The results of chemical analysis for the major ions of 40 water samples, collected from the study area of Bellary taluk, have been evaluated. The quality analysis was performed through the estimation of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc, manganese, carbonate, bicarbonate, sulphate, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids, turbidity, pH, electrical conductance and total hardness. Based on the analysis, certain parameters like sodium adsorption ratio, percent sodium and magnesium ratio were calculated. The bicarbonates (68 to 630 mg/L) and total alkalinity (241 to 429 mg/L) were medium and this may be due to the presence of crystalline schists and granitic gneiss in the study area. Based on the Piper trilinear diagram, it is confirmed that the dug wells were characterized by high amount of calcium and magnesium in the mining areas. In the study area 70% of the water samples fall under mainly C₂S₁, C₃S₁ and C₃S₂, which were suitable for irrigation of most crops as per USSL. The remaining 30% samples falling in C₃S₃, C₄S₂, C₄S₃ and C₄S₄ were not suitable for irrigation. From SAR classification, 75% of the water samples contained carbonate hardness and only 25% contained non carbonate hardness. The presence of E.coli in only seven dug wells indicated potential and dangerous faecal contamination, which require immediate attention. Fluoride was most dominant ion responsible for contamination of the groundwater. Seven water samples of the study area were prone to excess fluoride concentration (>1.2 mg/L) and not suitable for drinking purpose. These studies indicate that the water quality of 70% of the dug wells is suitable for both domestic and irrigation purposes, where as in the 30% of the water samples, one or the other chemical constituent was found beyond WHO permissible limits. The study indicates the need for periodic monitoring of groundwater in the study area.

Keywords

Borewell Waters, Water Quality, Sodium Adsorption Ratio, Groundwater Monitoring.

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Antonio Mascarenhas ¹, Nitin Dabholkar ¹, Jayu Narvekar ¹, Shivanand Prabhudesai ¹, Siddharth Ghatkar ¹, Sadaf Ansari ¹, Pramod Maurya ¹, Elgar Desa ¹, Anand Lokapure ¹, Surekha Nagvekar ¹, Gajanan Navelkar ¹, R. Madhan ¹, Fernando Vijayan ¹, Vidish Shetye ¹, Llewellyn Fernandes ¹, Sanjeev Afzulpurkar ¹, T. Suresh ¹

Affiliations
1 National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa 403 004, IN

Abstract

The seabed resident event-driven profiling system (SREP) was deployed in the northeastern Arabian Sea for winter convention studies. SREP is an autonomous profiling system consisting of two parts: a stationary seabed unit and a positively buoyant tethered profiling unit (profiler). It offers a novel and optimized approach to profiling in coastal waters from close to seabed (14.63 m above seabed) to the sea surface. The seabed unit houses an underwater winch system, underwater acoustic modem, pressure sensor, low-power electronics, batteries and divinylcell hydraulic crush point foam for subsea applications. The profiler houses a suite of oceanographic sensors: conductivity– temperature–depth, DO, chlorophyll, PAR, underwater acoustic modem, low-power electronics, batteries and divinylcell hydraulic crush point foam for subsea applications. The underwater winch system on the seabed unit spools out and spools in the profiler throughout the water column. Data acquisition on the profiler is done during ascending. The profiler ascends gradually in the water column at an average velocity of 20 cm/s. The seabed unit and the profiling unit communicate using a pair of underwater acoustic modems operating at 18–34 kHz. SREP was developed to obtain time-series water column measurements of coastal waters during the summer monsoon season (June–September) when the sea wave and wind conditions are extreme, thus making it difficult to deploy profiling packages from the ship. A description of SREP and observations made during the field deployment are presented in this article.

Keywords

Coastal Waters, Profiling System, Seabed Unit, Technology Demonstration, Winter Convention Studies.

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