Hydrogeochemical characterization and geospatial assessment of groundwater quality in the alluvial aquifer of southwestern Punjab in association with health risk assessment due to nitrate and fluoride pollution.

Abstract

Highlights

The groundwater in Mansa district has high levels of nitrates and fluoride, with 23.2% of samples exceeding recommended nitrate limits and 12.6% exceeding fluoride limits.
The concentration of cations and anions in the groundwater follows the order of Na⁺ > Mg²⁺ > Ca²⁺ > K⁺ and HCO₃^– > SO₄²^– > Cl^– > NO₃^– > F^– respectively.
The majority of groundwater types in the district are either mixed or Na-Cl type and categorized as very poor (36.6%) according to Water quality index (WQI).
Children are more vulnerable to nitrate hazards in all blocks except Bhikhi, while fluoride hazards pose a low risk to both adults and children across all blocks except Sardoolgarh, where children are more exposed to fluoride pollution.

Groundwater contamination is a significant threat to human health and hygiene, particularly when high levels of nitrate and fluoride are present. Punjab is currently experiencing a crisis of groundwater depletion and contamination, particularly severe in the southwestern region due to the limited availability of surface water. So, the present study was planned in the Mansa district of Punjab to know the status of groundwater with special reference to nitrate and fluoride and its associated health risks. The study found that all drinking water parameters in the district exceeded the desirable limits. The order of cations found was Na⁺ > Mg²⁺ > Ca²⁺ > K⁺, and the anions were ordered as HCO₃^– > SO₄^2- > Cl^– > NO₃^– > F^–. The variation in Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and HCO₃^– levels is attributed to processes such as silicate weathering, evaporation, and direct ion exchange. The dominant types of groundwater in the area are mixed type and Na-Cl type. The concentration of NO₃^– varied from 13.3 to 56.9 mg L^–¹ with mean 33.3 mg L^–¹, while F^– ranged from 0.09 to 1.81 mg L^–¹ with mean 1.07 mg L^–¹. The study revealed that 23.2% and 12.6% of water samples in the district exceeded the acceptable limits for nitrate and fluoride, respectively. According to the water quality index (WQI), the majority of groundwater in the study area is categorized as very poor (36.6%) for drinking, with the largest contribution from the Budhlada (43.9%) and Sardoolgarh (41.1%) blocks. The hazard quotient (HQ) for NO₃^– was below 1 for adults. However, HQ was greater than 1 for children in all blocks except for the Bhikhi. Similarly, for fluoride, HQ was less than 1 in all blocks for both children and adults, except for children in Sardoolgarh block. The cancer risk due to nitrate exceeded acceptable limits in all blocks. Conclusively, the study results indicate that the Mansa district of Punjab is facing severe groundwater contamination due to nitrate and fluoride, with the highest contamination levels in Jhunir (47.4% of samples exceeded the acceptable limit of NO₃^–) and Sardoolgarh (87.18% samples exceeded the desirable limit of F^–) blocks of the district. The study recommends implementing strict policies to regulate the use of agrochemicals in fields to mitigate nitrate pollution in groundwater and reduce associated risks.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University for providing the resources for the experimentations and the lab staff Mr Dharminder Singh and Gokal Singh for assistance during the lab analysis. The authors are also grateful to Dr G S Dheri for providing the lab facility.

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Hydrogeochemical characterization and geospatial assessment of groundwater quality in the alluvial aquifer of southwestern Punjab in association with health risk assessment due to nitrate and fluoride pollution.

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