38-Fluoride Contamination in Groundwater of Nalgonda District,Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Nalgonda Dstrict is one of the financially backward districts with good souls and hearts of people and is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Their unfortunate is the curse of the nature, not because of their creation. They have the heredity of the problem of the drinking water. In this paper an attempt has been made to assess the extent of fluoride contamination in Nalgonda District of Andhra Pradesh. Total 134 ground water samples were collected during pre- and post-monsoon seasons in the year 2003 and analysed for fluoride contamination. The concentration of fluoride was found to vary from 0.34 to 7.20 mg/L as against the desirable limit of 1.0 mg/L for drinking water. The spatial distribution maps of fluoride during pre- and post-monsoon 2003 have been prepared using Geostatistics. Significant seasonal changes in fl uoride concentrations have been observed in the groundwater. Distribution of fluoride in the Nalgonda District indicates that about 50% of the samples have fluoride concentration more than the maximum permissible limit prescribed for drinking water and such water should not be used for drinking purpose without treatment. Some remedial measures have been suggested to safeguard the drinking water supply schemes in the region.