15-Ground Water Quality Variations in Saharanpur District (U. P.)

Abstract

The quality of groundwater is of great importance in determining the suitability of a particular ground water for a certain use (public water supply, irrigation, industrial application,cooling, heeting, power generation,etc.). The quality of groundwater is the resultant of all processes and reactions that have acted on the water from the moment it condensed in the atmosphere to the time it is discharged by a well or spring. Therefore, the quality of groundwater varies from place to place, with the depth of water table, and from season to season and is primarily governed by the extent and composition of dissolved solids in it. The kind and concentration of dissolved solids depends upon source of salts and sub-surface environment. In the present paper, the results of the analysis of ground water sample from shallow unconfined aquifers of Saharanpur district have been presented. Temporal variations of groundwater quality have also been marked. The main use of these shallow wells is for agriculture and domestic pruposes. Therefore, suitability of water for irrigation and drinking purpose has been tested with reference to available standards. The results indicate that the quality of ground water in the area under study is in general good for irrigation as well as for drinking purposes. There is not much variation in the quality of water in pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons due to less rainfall.