Abstract

ASSESSMENT OF GROUNDWATER QUALITY IN SOME TOWNS OF VELLORE DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU, INDIA

K. Riaz ahamed and *S. Manikandan

ABSTRACT

Vellore District is one of the most polluted area in Tamil Nadu, India. It occupies around 240 tanneries, 17 Red category industries and small scale chemical industries. Partially treated industrial effluents combined with sewage and other wastes discharged on the surface cause severe groundwater pollution in the industrial belt. This poses a problem of supply of safe drinking water in the rural parts of the country. The present study deals with the physico-chemical characteristics of ground water quality in Ranipet, Arcot, Walljah pet, towns in vellore district. Such a water samples were collected from different identified bore wells for the purpose of studying the quality of groundwater during May 2014. The bore wells from which the samples were collected are extensively used for drinking purpose. It has been proved from the present investigation findings that value of few parameters are pH,TDS, Total Hardness, Calcium, Sulphate, Chloride, Salinity, and Iron fall out of the permissible range with reference to WHO guideline levels for drinking water. The most serious pollution threat to groundwater is from TDS, Total Hardness, salinity, Calcium, chloride and Fe, which are associated with sewage and pollution of tannery waste. Hence, suggested to take proper care to avoid contamination of groundwater pollution through periodic monitoring of the water quality.

Keywords: Groundwater, Physico – chemical parameter, Vellore district.