CS(AR)-196 : Ground water quality monitoring and evaluation in district Jammu (J&K)

Abstract

The detailed investigations of the chemical quality of ground water in district Jammu (J & K) has been carried out to see the suitability of water for various uses. The quality of ground water of the area has been studied based on the physico-chemical analysis of forty seven water samples collected from open wells covering district Jammu. Various parameters, viz.,-pH, conductance, total dissolved solids, alkalinity, hardness, chloride, sulphate, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium have been determined for all the samples and compared with the standards to evaluate its suitability for different uses. The higher values of certain parameters at certain locations indicate the contamination in ground water and make the water unsuitable for specific applications. The values of sodium adsorption ratio indicate that majority of samples falls under the category of low to sodium hazards.

The ground water of the area has also been classified on the basis of Piper trilinear and U.S. Salinity Laboratory classifications. In the Piper-trilinear diagram, majority of the ground water samples of the study area fall in the Ca - Mg - CO, - HCO3, hydrochemical facies. According to the U.S. Salinity Laboratory Classification of irrigation water, most of the samples fall either under water type C2-S1 (medium salinity and low SAR) or C3-S1 (high salinity and low SAR). Few samples of the study area also falls under water type C3-S2 (high salinity and medium SAR), C4-S1 (very high salinity and low SAR) and C4-S2 (very high salinity medium SAR). It is recommended that any water source must be thoroughly analysed and studied before being used for domestic applications and proper water management strategies should be adoptec2 for agricultural and other developmental activities.