43-Status of Groundwater Quality in Karnataka

Abstract

The entire rural population of the State and many towns and urban areas are depending on groundwater for their drinking needs. Due to intensive exploitation of groundwater, groundwater levels are declining and groundwater quality is deteriorating. Groundwater samples from key observation network have been drawn periodically and analysed. The results of the analysis have indicated that in 17 districts of the State, fluoride is more than the permissible limit. In addition to this in many municipal areas, groundwater is contaminated with nitrates. The investigations carried out in some of the municipal areas and cities have indicated that groundwater is having one or more constituents more than the permissible limit. In the cities of Bangalore and Mysore, discharge of untreated effluents from the industries and also domestic sewage is polluting groundwater aquifer. In the command areas of major irrigation projects application of excessive manures and lack of drainage has resulted in brackishness of the groundwater. There is a need for establishing key wells all over the State and in and around the industrial areas for monitoring groundwater quality to identify the polluting sources.