35-Water Quality of Hazira Region - Influence of Salinity on Groundwater

Abstract

The groundwater quality of Hazira region in Surat District, Gujarat has been assessed to see the influence of salinity on groundwater and the suitability of the same for domestic, irrigation and industrial purposes. The region receives comparatively higher rainfall than the rest of the Gujarat State and having adequate surface and groundwater resources in the region. However, ground water resources, which are treated as dependable resources for the water requirement, are affected by salinity. For assessing the water quality of the region, ground water samples from shallow and deep wells were collected from 20-km study area during all three seasons in the year from 1997 to 2002. The Samples were analyzed for various water quality parameters and data was analyzed with reference to water quality standards of BIS (IS-10500-1991). Probable compositions of ions were made to interpret their relationship. Different water quality constituents indicate that around 70% of samples in 20-km study area are crossing the permissible limits for TDS, hardness, sulphate and chloride. The average water quality classifications were made through Piper trilinear and U.S. Salinity Laboratory classification schemes.