47-Assessment of Groundwater Quality Around Industries in Pithampur and Special Economic zone Near Indore

Abstract

The increasing industrial activities led to increased stress on the quality and quantity of groundwater. In this scenario, it is imperative to assess the groundwater status around industries and suggest suitable remedial measures to policy planners. The study is undertaken around the industries in Pithampur near Indore. The study area also covers the industrial estates namely, Sector-I, Sector-II and Sector-III as well as the SEZ, which is going to be a bustling industrial center in near future. Sector-I has mostly automobile industries, while Sector-II and Sector-III have mostly chemical industries.

Based on the drainage characteristics in the region, the study area has been demarcated on a watershed basis. It encompasses the watershed of Gambhir River and Chambal River. The industrial estates namely, Sector-I, Sector-II, Sector-III and the SEZ fall within the watershed of the two rivers. A network of observation wells has been set up in the study area. Groundwater samples have been collected from the observation wells and analyzed for the physico-chemical parameters and trace elements. The results indicate significant values of TDS in many samples. The contours indicate higher concentration of TDS near the industries. Since Sector-I has primarily automobile industries, higher concentration of iron is expected in the groundwater sources close to it. The impact of the Sector-I on the quality of groundwater in Sector-I is attested by the higher concentration of iron in samples collected from sources close to Sector-I. Nickel and Aluminium also show higher concentration in the samples. Based on the chemical analysis, hydro geological and geophysical studies, a mass transport model will be developed for prognosis of contaminant migration in the region.