Groundwater Contamination & its Effects on Human Health: Study Area Anupgarh Block, Sri Ganganagar D by IRJET Journal

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 12 Issue: 09 | Sep 2025 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

Groundwater Contamination & its Effects on Human Health: Study Area Anupgarh Block, Sri Ganganagar District, Rajasthan, INDIA.

Dr. Seema Koushal

Asst. Professor & HOD, Department of Chemistry, Agarwal Girls College, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, INDIA

Abstract - As contaminated groundwater have a rangeofionsandsaltsinhighdeliberation,thususingsuch typeofwaterasdrinkingwaterleadstoavarietyofwater borne diseases. Contaminated water used for drinking purposesgenerates manydiseaseswhicharenotwaterbornebutduetosurplussalts.Toassessandanalysesthe contamination of ground water of Sri Ganga Nagar the whole district was divided into seven administrative blocks.Thisresearchworkisfocusedontheassessmentof groundwater quality of one Anupgarh block of Sri Ganganagardistrict.Groundwatersampleswerecollected byselectingfivedifferentvillagesfromthisblock..Villages wereselectedwherethegroundwateriswidelyusedfor drinking purpose. Samples were collected during premonsoon,post-monsoon,winterandspringseasons.

To evaluate the assorted hydro-chemical parameters alikepH,TDS,TA,TH,EC,Na,K,Ca,Mg,HCO3,CO3,Fluoride and BOD, COD, DO, Cl2, NO3, SO4 and heavy metals, standardmethodsspecifiedinbook“StandardMethodsfor theExaminationof WaterandWasteWater,17th edition, 1989” were used accordingly. Contaminated water is harmfulforhumanhealth.Itspurityisessentialtoprevent humanhealth.Hydrochemistryofgroundwatershowsits quality and suitability for drinking, domestic, irrigation andindustrialuse.Presentresearchworkhasbeendoneto assesstheparametersaffectingwaterqualitystatusofthe area andtheireffectonpublichealth.Data resultsshow thattheblock’sgroundwaterispollutedtoalittleextent. The quality of groundwater of Anupgarh block is of mediocrecategory.

Key Words: Groundwater1, Contamination2, Water borne diseases3, Physicochemical analysis4, Hydrochemical5, Parameters6.

2. INTRODUCTION

Wateristhemajorsourceoflifeanditisveryessentialfor all living beings and the health of environment. Plentiful chemicalsubstancesontheeartharefoundinit..Directlyor indirectly it effects on all form of life [1]. Its presence determinesthepositionandbehaviorofhumanontheearth. In all life on earth water is a basic medium of metabolic activities. It is used in every cell of the body to transport nutrients,oxygen, tocell andwastesto organs. Water isa parttoregulatethebody’stemperaturesystem.Italsoact a significantroleinpreventingdiseases.Freshwatermustbe cleanandfreeofcontaminantstoensurethewellness.[2]

Thequalityofwaterisjustassignificantasitsquantity.It isusedfordrinking,washing,bathing,irrigation,powerand steamgeneration,aircondition,ecology,fisheries,recreation etc. Water is also widely used in production of atomic energy, paper, chemicals, ice, and steel. Water is the main componentinthelivingbody.Itisessentiallyrequiredforall body functions such as respiration, digestion, waste elimination,perspiration,reproduction,growthandahostof othervitalactivities.Waterisafundamentalelementofall social and economic infrastructures. The classifications of waterinthemannerofconsumptiveandnon-consumptive are very important. When water is used consumptively it reducethesourceatthepointofappropriationandafterthat itdoesnotavailableforotheruses;whilenon-consumptive water use does not reduce the source and after that the waterisavailableforreuse.[3]

Ground water flows from places of higher pressure to placesoflowerpressure.Groundwaterflowinrockfractures is rather slow, where as it is somewhat rapid in sand and gravels.Upperplaneofanundergroundsurfaceinwhichthe soilisforeversoakedwithwaterisknownaswatertable.[4] Thewatertableisaffectedbyweatherchangethereforeit fluctuatestogetherwiththeseasonsandfromyeartoyear.[5]

Most ground water flows comparatively slow through rockundergroundforthereasontheflowofgroundwateris affected pressure of water and elevation, water inside the upper part of the soaked zone tends to flow downward. Poresofwaterrockaresmallthenwaterflowsslowlywhile when openings are large then the movement of water is more rapid. Spring is the position where water moves naturallyfromrockagainstthelandsurface.[6]Groundwater is recharged by the accumulation of water to the soaked zone. A deep outlet that is dug or drilled in the ground to boreanaquiferisknownaswell.[7]

Groundwater is rather contaminated by pesticides, herbicides,fertilizerswhich areusedtoagricultural crops which can find their way addicted to ground water when rainorirrigationwaterleachesthepoisons downintothe soil.[8] Otherpollutantslikeascitywaste,chemicalsusedin householdandheavy metalscanalsoseep by rain within Groundwater.

Groundwatercanalsobecontaminatedthroughliquidand solidwastestakenawayfromsewageplants,septic tanks, animalwasteandslaughterhouses.[9]Radioactivewastecan beacauseofthepollutionofgroundwaterowingtoliquid

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 12 Issue: 09 | Sep 2025 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

radioactive wastes produced as by product of the nuclear power industry. Contaminated groundwater can be decontaminated, but it is with highly expensive long-term procedures. Thus the groundwater quality must be controlled,inallcasesi.e.beforeitsuseandduringitsuse.[10]

Innumerouspartsofearthconditionsofatmospherealso changedthequalityofthegroundwater.Groundwaterisnot preferred as desirable for drinking when the quantity of dissolved minerals exceeds from its permissible limit.[11] Ground waters having dissolved minerals are saline in nature.Dissolvedmineralscanaffecthazardoustoanimals and plants, when these are in large concentrations. Groundwaterwhichcontainsalotofcalciumandmagnesium isknownashardwater.Thehardnessofwaterisshownin termsoftheamounthaving ofcalciumcarbonate 165, 70. In recentyears,thewaterresourcesarestressedbythegrowth ofindustries,technology,andpopulation.Thusthequalityof groundwaterhasbeendegraded.[12]

2. MATERIAL & METHODS

2.1 The Study Area

Selected

AnupgarhblockofSriGanganagardistrictwasselected forthisresearchwork.InthenorthernmostpartofStateof Rajasthan, Sri Ganganagar district is located extending between 28o 42’30’’ and 30o 12’00” N latitudes and 72o 39’15”and74o18’30”Elongitudes.ItisaplainregionofThar Desert land. Sri Ganganagar district is situated near InternationalPakistanborderandsurroundedbyFerozepur district of Punjab State and Bikaner district and Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan State. There are 9 tehsils i.e. Anupgarh, Gharsana, Karanpur, Padampur, Raisinghnagar,Sadulshahar,SriGanganagar,Suratgarhand SriVijaynagarinthisdistrict.Asgroundwaterisalsowidely usedfordrinkingpurposeintheruralareaofthistehsilthe presentresearchworkwasdoneinthisAnupgarhblockof SriGanganagardistrict.

2.2

Collection of Groundwater Samples

To evaluate the impact of contaminants five different villagesfromAnupgarhblock,widelyusinggroundwaterfor drinkingpurpose,wereselectedforcollectionandanalysis ofgroundwatersamples.Beforecollectionofsamplesthe pipelineofhandpumpswereflushedforasufficientperiod of time to represent the actual quality of groundwater. Sampleswerecollectedduringpre-monsoon,post-monsoon, winter and spring seasons. Sampling bottles were rinsed thrice and filled with groundwater fully to avoid encroachment of any air bubble. The samples were preserved in refrigerator at 40C Collected samples from selectedsiteswereanalyzedforphysicochemicalparameters todeterminedegreeofpollutioningroundwaterofthearea.

Total20watersamplesi.e.onesamplefromeachselected site from each of five different villages of the Anupgarh

block,infourseasons(pre-monsoon,post-monsoon,winter andspringperiods)werecollectedinoneyeari.e.fromApril, 2022 to March 2023. Samples were collected from three different sites and then mixed all together to make one sampleofeachvillageoftheblockforassessmentofquality andcharacterizationoftheirphysicochemicalparameters.

2.3 Hydro chemical Analysis Of Samples

Standardmethodsassumedin“Standardmethodsforthe examinationofwaterandwastewater,17thedition,1989, arranged and published jointly by American public health Association(APHA), [13] Americanwaterworksassociation (AWWA)andWaterPollutionControlFederation(WPCF), [14] were used to determine the various physicochemical parameters.

3 RESULTS & DISCUSSION

The hydro chemical parameters analysis results of samplescollectedfromthefiveselectedvillagesofAnupgarh blockofSriGanganagardistrictduringfourseasonsi.e.pre monsoon,postmonsoon,winterandspringareshowninthe followingTableNo.1andTableNo.2,Datainterpretation resultsinTableNo.2,HydrochemicalparametersDO,BOD, CODandTracesHeavyMetalsi.eFe,Cd,Cu,ZN,MnandPb resultsinTableNo.3,HydrochemicalDatainterpretationof AI,LSI,%Na, SAR,RSCandESPresultsinTableNo.4and Distribution of acceptable, permissible and beyond the permissiblelimitofmajorchemicalconstituentsresultsin TableNo.5

Pollutedgroundwatereffectsonhumanhealth-

•Higher EC standardsofwater(>3000μS/cm)consequently makethegroundwatersalineandnon-potable.Tousethis ground water for domestic use, at first it should be blend with fresh water to fall the level of health affecting constituentsinpermissiblelimit.•Higherrangeof TDS and Chloride beyond the permissible limit can cause stomach disorder, indigestion and make the taste of ground water bitter.•TH beyondthepermissiblelimitcancausesdiseases of kidney or bladder, urinary concretions, calcification of arteriesandstomachdisorders.•Ca isessentialforhuman health, its insufficiency causes rickets and excess causes stonesinkidneyorbladder.•Mg iscatharticanddiureticand excessislaxative.•Nitrate cancauseMethemo-globinemia and Gastro-intestinal problems. •Fluoride beyond permissible limit can cause non skeletal fluorosis and skeletaldentalfluorosis.Inbottlefedinfants

Table-2: Physicochemical analysis results of Groundwater Samples collected from Anupgarh Block

Table-3 Hydrochemical Parameters Results of Ground water Samples collected

from Anupgarh Block

Anupgarh Longitude74.955Latitude

28.959 PatroraLongitude74.088Latitude

29.446 BandaLongitude73.104Latitude29.062

Rojari Long. 73.5 Latitude 29.49

VijaynagarLong.73.517Latitude28.241

Average

Table-4 Hydrochemical Parameters Results of Ground water Samples collected from Anupgarh Block

Average Patrora Banda Rojari Vijaynagar Minimum Location

Anupgarh

Table-5 : Distribution of major chemical constituents acceptable, permissible and beyond permissible limit result of Anupgarh Block

Samples

4. CONCLUSION

Waterexcellenceof AnupgarhblockofSriGanganagar districtisnotsogoodfordrinkingandirrigationpurpose. Continuousmonitoringisessentialfortheimprovementof

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 12 Issue: 09 | Sep 2025 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

excellence of pollution level of water and maintain the publichealthofalltheblocks.

As per Anupgarh block data analysis results, only the concentration of Fluoride (20%) and Nitrate (20%) parametersarebeyondtheprescribedlimitwhichshowsthe poorwaterquality.Restalli.e.TH,Ca2,Mg2,Na,K,Cl,andSO4 parametersarewithinacceptableandpermissiblelimit.

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

To control the Ground water contamination the following measuresmaybeadopted:-

[1] CleanWaterSystems-Installmachinestocleanwater beforepeopleuseitmethods:boiling,filters, UVLightozone orcharcoal.

[2] Itisrequiredtoinstallwatercleaning systemsinOut lets todispensecleanwaterforhumanconsumption.For thispurposevarioustechniquesviz. chemicaldisinfection, ultravioletdisinfection,ozonewaterdisinfection,filtration, boilingandactivatedcharcoalabsorptionareused.

[3] Safe Landfills- Landfills should be built properly with clayandsafetylayers.Keeplandfillsfarfromwatersources andcheckthemregularly.

[4] No Hazardous Waste- Do not throw harmful things (paints, medicines, oils, chemicals) in landfills or drains. These should be given to proper waste-handling centers. Dumpingofanyhazardouswasteshouldbestrictlyavoided inthelandfillsarea.

[5] UndergroundTanksandPipes-Buildstoragetanksand pipelinessafelyasperrules.Removeoldandunusedtanks toavoidleakage.

[6] Petroleum Products- Oil and petrol in tanks or Pipe lines must be checked often. Fix leaks quickly so that groundwaterisnotpolluted.

[7] Use Groundwater carefully- Take out under ground waterinaplannedway.Donotoveruseorwasteit.

[8] TreatGroundwaterBeforeUse-Cleanortreatground waterbeforedrinkingtoreducehealthrisks.

[9] Awareness-GovernmentandNGOsshouldteachpeople aboutsavingandprotectinggroundwater.

[10] SafeFarmingPractices-Usefertilizersandpesticidesin limited and safe amounts. Prefer natural or eco-friendly methodstoprotectgroundwater.

[11] Make and Follow Rules-Government should make Strict laws to keep ground water clean. Drinking water mustbesafeandmeethealthstandards.

[12]Pretreatmentofgroundwater-Groundwatershouldbe pretreatedtomakesurethe lesshealththreats

6. REFERENCES

[1] Ramesh M, Dharmaraj E, Raj B J R, Physico-chemical characteristicsofgroundwaterofManachanallurBlock Trichy, Tamilnadu, India. Advances in Applied Science Research3(3),1709-1713,2013

[2] KhanT.A.”TraceElementsintheDrinkingWaterand their possible Health Effect in Aligarh City, India". Jof WaterResourceandProtection,3,522-530,2011

[3] SubbaRaoN. Assessmentofgroundwaterconditionsin parts of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. UGC MinorResearchProjectReport,1995

[4] Singh A and Choudhary S K, Chemical Analysis of Groundwater of Nathnagar Block under Bhagalpur District, Bihar (India)”. J. of Environ. Science and Engineering,53(1),469-474,2011

[5] SinghAK,RajB,TiwariAKandMahatoMK,Evaluation of hydro geochemical processes and groundwater quality in the Jhansi District of Bundelkhand region, India,Environ.EarthSciences,70(3),1225-1247,2013

[6] GillisonRJandPatmontCR,LakePhosphorusloading from septic systems by seasonally perched groundwater. J. Water Pollut. Con. Fed., 55, 12971304,1983.

[7] Gupta N, Bisht S and Patra B A, Physico- Chemical AnalysisofDrinkingWaterQualityfrom32locationsin Delhi,J.ofInd.WaterAssociation,2010.

[8] MuthukumaravelK,EvaluationofGroundWaterQuality inPerambalur,Ind.J.ofEnviron.Sciences,14(1),47-49, 2010

[9] NaikSandPurohitKM,Studiesonwaterqualityofriver BrahmaniinSundargarhdistrict,Orissa.Ind.J.Environ. Ecoplanning,5(2),397-402,2001

[10]GyananathG,IslamSRandShewdikarSV,Assessment ofEnviron. Parameteronground water quality. Ind.J Environ.Prot.21,289-294,2001

[11]Hemant P and Limaye S N, Assessment of Physico chemical Quality of Groundwater in rural area nearby Sagar city, MP, India.Advances in Applied Science Research.PelagiaResearchLibrary3, 555-562,2012.

[12]Jain C K, Assessment of ground water quality for Drinkinwaterpurpose,DistrictNainital,Utarkhanda,India, EnvironmonitAssess,springer,166,663-673,2009

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[13]American Public Health Association (APHA): (1998) Standardorexaminationofwaterwastewater(20th ed..

[14]Standards methods for Examination of Water and wastewater.AmericanWaterWorkAssociationand Water PollutionControlFederation,22nd, Washington,DC,2012.