Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 17, No.

4, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14525/JJCE.v17i4.02

Groundwater Quality Analysis for Wardha, Maharashtra, India

Ashay Devidas Shende 1)* and Mrunmayee Manjari Sahoo 2)

1)
Research Scholar, School of Civil Engineering, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India.
*
Corresponding Author. E-Mail: [email protected]
2)
Assistant Professor, School of Civil Engineering, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India.

ABSTRACT
Arid and semi-arid regions significantly depend upon groundwater to meet their water demand, especially when
groundwater is the only and limited resource for drinking and other human needs. The primary concerns are
the excessive consumption of groundwater for agricultural and industrial activities, low recharge rate and
percolation of impurities in groundwater, affecting groundwater quality and quantity. This study was performed
to identify the variation in the water quality of groundwater of arid or semi-arid regions using geographical
information system (GIS) and water-quality index (WQI). The database generated by analyzing samples of 3
decades (1990 to 2019) spatially varied over 68 sampling locations and the dataset was classified based on
designated use. The dispersal of chemical constituents in groundwater over the study area was determined using
GIS and water quality was classified based on WQI. The maximum concentrations of magnesium, nitrates and
sulphates were found to be 307.6 mg/L, 600.16 mg/L and 890.0 mg/L, respectively, but the overall water quality
was found varying between marginal and good due to tremendous variations. The southeastern and
southwestern parts of the study area were found to be majorly affected with high concentrations of electrical
conductivity, total hardness, chlorides and sulphates. Integrating GIS and WQI gives new knowledge on the
spatial variation in groundwater characteristics for designated use. The integrated model derives valuable
information for land-use planners and decision-makers on groundwater-resource management.

KEYWORDS: Groundwater, Groundwater-quality index, GIS, Spatial distribution.

INTRODUCTION consumes groundwater either without or after primary

treatment (Goitsemang et al.,2020). The physio-
The ever-increasing population of India raised chemical interaction and dynamic behaviors of various
tremendous pressure on various resources of the country impurities necessitate the characterization of
(Ray and Ray, 2011). The conversion of rural areas into groundwater resources before water usage for any
urban areas and industrialization in multiple parts of the purpose or restoration of groundwater quality. The
country further increase the load over the surface and Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) recommends
groundwater resources (Khatri and Tyagi, 2015). The monitoring groundwater resources to identify the
excessive usage of groundwater in agricultural ongoing and emerging problems and contamination
activities, industrial purposes and domestic supply in the levels of groundwater in compliance with drinking-
absence of surface-water sources exerts extensive water standards (CGWB, 2018). Monitoring and
pressure on groundwater resources (Kumar et al., 2013; assessing groundwater quality at critical locations
Ravi et al., 2020).The percolation of industrial effluent, provide valuable information for developing and
agricultural run-off and dissolved impurities from allocating consumptive-usage plans for groundwater
untreated sewage into groundwater raises serious health (Knüppe, 2011; Pande et al., 2020; Arora and Keshari,
concerns, as a large part of the community in India 2021).
The advent of geographical information systems
Received on 9/2/2023. (GISs), which involve utilizing large satellite-based raster
Accepted for Publication on 15/6/2023. or vector data for the analysis, has reduced the efforts and

- 569 -
Groundwater Quality… Ashay Devidas Shende and Mrunmayee Manjari Sahoo

time required to interpret extensive field studies. The data groundwater and derived the WQI to identify the area
obtained during the conventional field analysis technique concerned with degraded water quality. Singh and Noori
can be analyzed using GIS tools for large catchment areas (2022) determined the spatial distribution of
and data could also be obtained from inaccessible groundwater characteristics utilizing GIS tools and WQI
locations using satellite data (Sadat-Noori et al., 2014; and assessed the potential of different anions and cations
Rawat and Singh, 2018; Dandge and Patil, 2022; Sunitha to affect water quality. Vaiphei et al. (2020) determined
and Reddy, 2022; Hosseininia and Hassanzadeh, 2023). the dominant cations, anions and hydro-chemical facies
Information on land use/land cover (LULC) could affecting water quality and developed WQI to evaluate
provide access to development concerning new industrial the overall water quality using GIS techniques. Alemu
activities or setting up a new habitat or town, converting et al. (2022) simulated groundwater quality using WQI
land type from agricultural to industrial or from forest to to identify the designated use of groundwater. Khafaji et
agricultural. Regularly monitoring satellite images could al. (2022) developed the WQI for irrigation activity
provide LULC data that is further analyzed using GIS through an overlay approach and performed spatial
techniques. The allocation of sampling data points on GIS distribution using GIS in four classes. The successful
tools has reduced the efforts of researching and application of WQI for different geographical
comparing different stations spatially and temporally conditions suggests the broader area of application of
(Omar et al., 2020; Sunitha and Reddy, 2022; Hosseininia WQI for the prediction of water quality; however, the
and Hassanzadeh, 2023). The interpolation method adequacy of WQI was rarely validated (Ravichandran,
successfully identifies groundwater quality along large 2023).
areas and the spatial distribution of groundwater The research gap observed in the previous studies is
characteristics (Machiwal et al., 2018; Dandge and Patil, that the research outcome was focused towards
2022). The water-quality index (WQI) is used quantification of water-quality characteristics and
prominently to determine water quality for various development of WQI, but less focus was given to
purposes (Fang et al., 2020). Researchers have applied sources of pollution and identification of designated use
different methods for the development of WQI to of groundwater. Groundwater is available in the
determine the relative weight of water-quality parameters unconfined aquifers in the Wardha district of
in producing variation in overall characteristics (Lumb et Maharashtra and is considerably used for agricultural
al., 2011; Poonam et al., 2013; Şener et al., 2017; Subba practices (CGWB, 2021). The study was carried out
Rao et al., 2018; Akhtar et al., 2013). with backtracking of pollutants and identification of
Subba Rao et al. (2018) applied the water-quality pollution sources. This study was performed with the
index for groundwater to determine the contamination objectives to 1) determine the multi-dimensional
level in water quality in Telangana, India. Kawo and variability of physio-chemical constituents to assess the
Karuppannan (2018) used the GIS technique to quantify level of impact of anthropogenic activities and 2) to
the spatial variation of major cations and anions and determine the applicability of groundwater for drinking
applied WQI to identify the applicability of groundwater and agricultural activities. The backtracking of
resources for specific purposes. Duraisamy et al. (2019) pollutants is performed in this study for the first time to
studied physio-chemical parameters to assess determine the sources of pollutants. The geographical
groundwater quality using GIS. Bawoke and Anteneh distribution and anthropogenic activities are traced to
(2020) applied statistical arithmetic techniques to identify the emerging points of pollutants. The study's
quantify the weight of various water-quality parameters objectives would assist policymakers and planners in
and provided a rating for each parameter to generate evaluating the potential use of groundwater to minimize
WQI. Fang et al. (2020) integrated multivariate the health risk due to contamination of groundwater
statistical techniques with GIS and WQI to quantify the (Kalhor et al., 2019; Ravindra et al., 2019). The
periodic variations in the concentrations of water- proposed methodology could be applied to any aquifers
quality parameters and demonstrated the spatial in arid or semi-arid regions, receiving effluents from
distribution of parameters. Ram et al. (2021) performed multiple sources.
the spatial analysis of chemical constituents of

- 570 -
Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 17, No. 4, 2023

MATERIALS around 1058 mm, spread over 47 to 50 days. The

Study Area isohyetal map of rain is shown in Figure 2 (CGWB,
The area under consideration is in the Wardha 2021). The precipitation data of the study area was
district of Maharashtra, India, as shown in Figure 1, attained from the Indian Meteorological Department
developed using ArcGIS. Wardha river is a sub-basin of (IMD) for 2020 to develop the isohyetal maps.
Godavari basin, lying in the latitudinal range of 19°18'N Precipitation is the primary water source for
and 21°58'N and the longitudinal range of 77°20'E and groundwater recharge received during monsoon,
79°45'E. The Wardha river originates in the Satpuda whereas, for the rest of the year (lean period),
range of Madhya Pradesh in Betul district. Wardha river groundwater is used for irrigation and other activities.
majorly flows in Maharashtra after traveling 32 km in The discharge of wastewater from point sources
Madhya Pradesh, having a watershed area of 48,000 km2 (commercial, industrial and residential areas) and non-
up to its confluence in Wainganga river. The Wardha point sources contaminate groundwater as well as
river travels from north to west in the Wardha district of surface-water sources. The abstraction of groundwater
Maharashtra and joins the Wainganga river at the north for agricultural and other activities and variations in
in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra to form the annual precipitation affect the groundwater level
Pranhita river, which is a significant tributary of significantly (Mithani et al., 2012). The groundwater
Godavari river. Wardha district of Maharashtra contains level varies considerably between 0.15 m and 11.5 m, as
black soil over the pile of rock generated from the shown in Figure 3 (CGWB, 2021). The northern part of
volcanic trap (CGWB, 2021). the district observes significant fluctuations in water
The annual mean precipitation of Wardha district is level compared to the southern region.

Figure (1): Study area of Wardha district, sub-basin of Godavari river basin

- 571 -
Groundwater Quality… Ashay Devidas Shende and Mrunmayee Manjari Sahoo

Figure (2): Isohyet line of Wardha district, Maharashtra (CGWB, 2021)

Data Collection
The study area comprises 68 sampling sites (dug
wells) in 61 villages and 9 tehsils of the Wardha district
of Maharashtra. The database of groundwater samples
was developed using dug-well analysis of the Central
Ground Water Board (CGWB) maintained for nearly
three decades (1990-2019). 893 groundwater samples
were analyzed and collected from 68 sampling
locations. The CGWB performed the analysis of water
samples following the standard operating procedure as
prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
10500:2012 (BIS, 2012) and adopted adequate sample-
preservation guidelines (CGWB, 2021) and every
sample was analyzed for different parameters. The
water-quality parameters and salts including pH, total
hardness (TH), total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical
conductivity (EC), total alkalinity, calcium, magnesium,
sodium, potassium, carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides,
sulphites, fluorides and nitrates were evaluated from
each groundwater sample. Figure (3): Water-level fluctuations in Wardha
district, Maharashtra (CGWB, 2021)

- 572 -
Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 17, No. 4, 2023

METHODOLOGY Groundwater-quality Index (GWQI)

The GWQI was developed for the study area using
Groundwater-data Analysis the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) water-quality
The location of each sampling location is identified standards for drinking water. The GWQI was applied to
using geotagging. The spatial variability of parameters reduce the multi-variate nature of water-quality
was determined using statistical analysis and the GIS parameters and the dynamic variability of different
technique. The spatially distributed maps of the study parameters. The procedure of CCME WQI (2001) was
area were derived from Inverse Distance Weighting adopted to develop the GWQI for the study area based
(IDW) in ArcGIS 10.8 version, which is an interpolation on total parameters exceeding the discharge limits, total
method for filing data gaps, as discussed below for each number of samples exceeding the limits and amplitude
parameter. The variation of each parameter throughout of variation about standard value (Hurley et al., 2012).
the study period is also assessed using box-whisker plots The three factors are determined to develop index values
(Banacos, 2011). for scope, frequency and amplitude, defined as F1, F2
and F3, respectively. F1 and F2 are shown in Equations
1 and 2 and F3 is shown in Equation 5 (CCME, 2001).

𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠

𝐹1 = ∗ 100
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 (1)

𝑆𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠

𝐹2 = ∗ 100
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 (2)

quality of water, while 100 indicates the purest form of

In case of sample failure, the normalized sum of water quality. The classification of the score of GWQI
excursion (NSE) provides the summation of variations is performed in 5 classes, as shown in Table 1, as
in test results from standard values. The excursion offers developed by the Council of Environment Ministers of
the deviation of each sample from the standard value, Canada (CCME, 2001).
recorded as shown in Equation 4 (CCME, 2001):
Table 1. Grading of GWQI scores
∑𝑛
𝑖=1 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑖
𝑁𝑆𝐸 = 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠
(3) GWQI Score Rank
95-100 Excellent
𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 80-94 Very Good
𝐸𝑥𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒
−1 (4)
65-79 Good
45-64 Marginal
F3 converts the NSE on a scale of 0 to 100 using
0 - 44 Poor
Equation 5 (CCME, 2001):

𝑁𝑆𝐸 RESULTS & DISCUSSION

𝐹3 = (5)
0.01 𝑁𝑆𝐸+0.01
Statistical Distribution of Groundwater Quality
The GWQI is evaluated based on the results of F1, The box-whisker plot provides information about the
F2 and F3, using Equation 6 (CCME, 2001): maximum, minimum, median, upper and lower whiskers
and the upper (75th percentile) and lower (25th
√𝐹12 +𝐹22 +𝐹32 percentile) quartiles of different parameters. The
𝐺𝑊𝑄𝐼 = 100 − . (6) groundwater parameters were analyzed using statistical
1.732
methods; i.e., box-whisker plot, as shown in Figure 4, to
The denominator in Equation 6 is used to normalize determine the variations in events over different
the results from 0 to 100, where 0 suggests the poorest seasons. Most of the chemical parameters in the study
area showed more considerable fluctuations in

- 573 -
Groundwater Quality… Ashay Devidas Shende and Mrunmayee Manjari Sahoo

concentrations with smaller-quartile plots towards the parameters was also found well within the acceptable
lower quartile. The points above the upper whisker in limit; however, the maximum concentration of each
Figure 4 represent not-so-significant parameter parameter exceeds the expected value, as shown in
concentration fluctuations, as they are outside the box Figure 5. The box plots of all the parameters inclined
plots. towards the lower whiskers and the median was found
All parameters previously defined were evaluated towards the lower quartile. The maximum value of
and box-whisker plots were designed. The electrical alkalinity was found to be close to the maximum
conductivity (EC) showed significant fluctuations permissible limit, whereas calcium and magnesium
throughout the study period. The maximum value observed a maximum value of 1.5 and 3 times the upper
observed is 5166 µS/cm; however, the median remains limit, respectively. Nitrates were found to be
low, near about 1000 µS/cm, forming a compact box exceptionally high on a few occasions (10-12 times),
plot where the median is close to the lower quartile. The whereas the average value was within the acceptable
upper whisker was also found near 2300 µS/cm. The limit. Sulphates were also found with a low average
distribution suggests that EC remains low for most of value, with the box plot at the more downside following
the period and only specific locations are causing the the permissible limit; however, found exceeding on a
higher value of EC. The maximum value of total few occasions. Fluorides remain low throughout the
hardness (TH) was documented as high as 1670 mg/L study period and all the values remain within or near the
compared to the 600 mg/L BIS standard. However, the maximum acceptable limits, as shown in Table 2.
median was found within the acceptable range and a
highly compact box plot was formed within the standard
limits, where only a few instances were recorded with a
high concentration of TH.

Figure (5): Box-whisker plot of groundwater-

Figure (4): Box-whisker plot of groundwater- quality parameters (pH, Alkalinity (mg/L),
quality parameters (EC (µS/cm), TH (mg/L), Ca (mg/L), Mg (mg/L), Cl (mg/L), SO 42- (mg/L),
TDS (mg/L)) NO3- (mg/L) and Fluorides (mg/L))

The median value of TDS was found below the The fluctuation in groundwater quality postulated
acceptable range against the standard range of 500-2000 that destruction in groundwater quality occurs due to the
mg/L as per BIS; however, the maximum value was excessive discharge from anthropogenic sources, run-
found as 3358 mg/L. The box plot with the lower off from agricultural fields and monsoon flow beyond
quartile inclined towards the lower whisker suggests a the self-replenishment capacity of groundwater (Barakat
low concentration of TDS in groundwater samples for et al., 2016; Mukate et al., 2018). The sampling locations
most of the period, excluding few samples having a high that deteriorate groundwater are studied in the next
concentration observed during the monsoon period. The section. The variations in the characteristics of various
boxplot of EC, TDS and TH is shown in Figure 4. parameters reflect that agricultural activities are the
The average value of other physio-chemical primary source of ionic variability.

- 574 -
Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 17, No. 4, 2023

Spatial Distribution of Groundwater Parameters quality considering the concentrations of several

The groundwater is drenched significantly for physical, chemical and biological constituents and
meeting the demand for irrigation, followed by highly suitable concentrations of all components are
industrial and drinking purposes. The BIS 10500:2012 required to prepare water for drinking and other
for drinking-water quality is followed to determine the purposes. The spatial variability is not restricted to
variations in chemical parameters, as the highest-quality surface watershed boundary, hence the variation in
water is used for drinking and other domestic activities chemical constituents might arise from adjoining areas
(BIS, 2012). Several constituents affect the groundwater too.

Table 2. Statistics of average annual data and respective BIS standards

Standard
Parameters Average Maximum Minimum BIS Standards
Deviation
pH 7.90 9.17 6.90 0.31 6.50-8.50
Total Alkalinity (mg/L) 237.28 750.00 25.41 126.62 200.00-600.00
Electrical Conductivity (µS/cm) 930.00 5166.00 300.00 613.42 --
Total Hardness (mg/L) 325.00 1670.00 35.00 193.89 200.00-600.00
Total Dissolved Solids (mg/L) 528.48 3358.00 160.00 372.81 500.00-2000.00
Calcium (mg/L) 57.61 308.00 22.00 38.33 75.00-200.00
Magnesium (mg/L) 42.62 307.60 23.00 38.47 30.00-100.00
Nitrates (mg/L) 40.0 600.16 0.10 78.06 45.00
Sulphates (mg/L) 43.41 890.00 0.10 80.04 200.00-400.00
Fluorides (mg/L) 0.40 1.66 0.01 0.27 1.00-1.50
Chlorides (mg/L) 88.31 994.00 7.00 113.66 250.00-1000.00

The pH distribution was found within the acceptable as per BIS 10500:2012 for drinking water, except for
range throughout the study area. The acceptable pH nitrates, which were found on the higher side. The
range is from 6.50 to 8.50 and all the samples were acceptable nitrate limit is 45.00 mg/L without any
within the defined range. Only a few samples were relaxation on the upper limit (WHO, 2022); however,
found near to the upper range in the centre to the east of the average nitrate concentration was 40.00 mg/L. The
the Wardha district. The EC measured in µS/cm has an average magnesium concentration was 42.62 mg/L,
acceptable range based on total dissolved solids’ which is above the acceptable limit, but within the
concentration. EC is determined concerning TDS as permissible limit without an alternative source.
TDS = ke * EC, where ke is the conversions factor and The acceptable range of total hardness (TH) for
the most common value of ke is 0.69. drinking purposes is from 200.0 to 600.0 mg/L and some
In contrast, the World Health Organization (WHO) areas were found with TH greater than 600.0 mg/L. The
allows 1000.0 µS/cm of EC as the maximum permissible high level of TH may cause scaling in the pipelines,
concentration. The concentration of EC, found high excessive soap consumption in domestic and industrial
throughout the Wardha district, suggests high activities and calcification of arteries. The few areas of
concentrations of dissolved salts in the groundwater. high TH were found in the district's extreme north,
The maximum concentration of EC reached up to 5166.0 southeast, south and southwest boundaries. However,
µS/cm in a similar area of high pH near the southeast the maximum concentration is not extraordinarily high
boundary of the district, as shown in Table 2. and could be treated effectively to bring it to the
The mean concentration of all parameters was found operating range for drinking purposes.
within the permissible limit or below the rejection limit,

- 575 -
Groundwater Quality… Ashay Devidas Shende and Mrunmayee Manjari Sahoo

Figure (6): Spatial distribution of different water-quality parameters

(F, HCO3-, SO42-, CO32-, Cl, Mg, Na, K, TH, Ca, PH and EC) of Wardha district

- 576 -
Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 17, No. 4, 2023

The acceptable range of calcium (Ca) for drinking value of fluoride (F) in drinking water is 1.0-1.5 mg/L
purposes is from 75.0 to 200.0 mg/L. Very few points and all samples showed F concentrations in an
were found with lower concentrations of Ca. The acceptable range throughout Wardha district. A specific
excessive Ca concentration causes incrustation in concentration of F is required to prevent mottling of
pipelines, while a lower concentration of Ca causes teeth and other bones-related deficiencies, especially in
rickets. An adequate concentration of Ca is necessary for infants. In contrast, excessive consumption of fluoride
developing the nervous system, muscles, good cardiac above 1.5 mg/L for a longer duration may lead to a
functioning and blood coagulation. High concentrations change in teeth color to yellow and prolonged exposure
of Ca in the southeast and southwest parts of the district and consumption cause weakening of bones and dental
were found, as shown in Figure 6. fluorosis.
Magnesium (Mg) concentration is important for a The spatial expansion of chemical constituents in
healthy life and the human body, as Mg salts are cathartics groundwater reflects that only a few border areas of the
and diuretics. Cathartics are required for purifying or district observe high concentrations, mainly in the
cleaning bowel movements and diuretics assist in extreme north, southeast and southwest regions.
removing excessive salts from the body. However, However, most of the districts had parameter
excessive consumption of Mg is also detrimental, as it concentrations within the acceptable limits. The
causes a laxative effect. The acceptable limit for Mg is variation in the precipitation rate affects the
30.0mg/L and could be accepted upto 100.0 mg/L if no groundwater recharge and parameter concentrations
other alternatives are available (BIS, 2012). The value of significantly. The Wardha sub-basin region's rainfall is
Mg was observed considerably high as 307.6 mg/L in the also known to be affected by El Niño Southern
Wardha district. The high concentration was observed Oscillation (ENSO), which resulted in above-and
majorly in the extreme north and southeast parts of the below-normal rainfall (Rishma and Katpatal, 2019).
district. A smaller area with a high concentration made High concentrations of parameters are majorly caused
the water unsuitable for drinking without any specific by the agricultural run-off, followed by seepage from
treatment; however, a large part mainly in the central area wastewater septic tanks. The seepage of impurities
of Wardha district indicates that water could be used for could be removed by applying nano-particles to allow
drinking or other purposes. water percolation through the membrane and repel the
The concentrations of salts, such as Na, K, CO32- and contaminants, including dissolved salts and heavy
HCO3-, were also evaluated along with calcium and metals (Agarwal and Joshi, 2010). The reservoirs in the
magnesium concentrations. Na, K, CO32- and HCO3- western part of Nagpur district discharge their run-off in
concentrations were found within the limits throughout the Wardha district and the topology of the district at the
the study area, except for a few regions in the southeast east border attracts water from the Nagpur area. The
district, as shown in Figure 6. The high value of western boundary of Wardha district is marked along the
chlorides (Cl-) in Wardha groundwater is caused by the Wardha river, which is trapped near Kavith village and
excessive run-off from agricultural fields using receives outfall from Bembla dam in Yavatmal district,
fertilizers and pesticides or wastewater discharge from Maharashtra. The correlation in the concentrations of
septic tanks. The industrial release also raises the Cl various parameters also suggests the presence of salts
concentration (Wagh et al., 2019). The tolerable value due to the intrusion of urban waste in the groundwater
of Cl- is 250.0 mg/L; however, in some areas, Cl- level (Peddiwar et al., 2022). The variations in the
rises to 994.0 mg/L, as shown in Figure 6. The extreme characteristics of groundwater suggested that the
north, southeast, southwest and south regions contain potential sources of pollutants could be either from the
high Cl, whereas the rest of the area includes Cl within study area or from adjoining districts, as the geology of
the acceptable limits. Using water with high Cl mainly Wardha district allows wastewater discharge from
harms industries producing food products, beverages, nearby districts.
pharmaceuticals and medical items. In similar parts of
Wardha district, sulphates were also exceptionally high, Groundwater-quality Index
with concentrations reaching 890 mg/L. The acceptable The GWQI was developed using the CCME WQI

- 577 -
Groundwater Quality… Ashay Devidas Shende and Mrunmayee Manjari Sahoo

procedure for drinking purposes based on water-quality 57 samples exceeded standard drinking-water limits;
standards as per BIS 10500:2012 (BIS, 2012). The from 2001 to 2005, 39 samples did not meet the shared
results of the developed GWQI are presented in Table 3. values and all such samples belonged to similar areas.
The results suggest that groundwater quality of Wardha However, in recent years, the percentage of samples not
district witnessed minimal changes throughout the meeting the standard limits reduced, which was found to
period of the study. The groundwater quality was improve the water quality, as shown in Table 3.
monitored to be marginal between poor and good from Approximately 50% of samples exceeding the standard
1990 to 2005 and significantly improved from 2006 to limits were of chlorides and sulphates and belonged to
2010. At the same time, groundwater quality degraded similar areas. The high chloride concentration could
further to marginal from 2011 to 2015 and further arise from agricultural run-off, animal waste and feeds.
enhanced to sound from 2016 to 2019. The distribution of water from the Wardha river flows
The spatial variability of groundwater parameters along the border during the high-flow conditions also
suggested that the outer boundary of Wardha district increases the chloride value in groundwater. In contrast,
near the southeast and southwest borders had parameters the consumption of fertilizers during the cropping
with high concentrations and is the primary cause of the season and their discharge with agricultural run-off
overall water-quality deterioration. From 1990 to 2000, raises the sulphate concentrations in groundwater.

Table 3. Temporal classification of groundwater quality using GWQI

Samples
No. of
S. No. Period Exceeding GWQI Classification
Samples
Standard Limits

1 1990-2000 249 57 55 Marginal

2 2001-2005 165 39 61 Marginal

3 2006-2010 141 22 68 Good

4 2011-2015 212 40 61 Marginal

5 2016-2019 126 26 68 Good

However, the overall water quality remains good, various parameters along the study area. The study area's
except for few locations. It could be further improved to pH, Na, K, CO32-, HCO3- and fluoride were well within
very good or to a better class of water quality with the the accepted limits. EC, Ca, Mg, TH, sulphates and
control on the usage of fertilizers and irrigation chlorides were found marginally above the rejection
practices, as well as the generation of minimum run-off limits. Most parameters were high in similar locations;
from other areas. Applying permeable reactive barriers i.e., southeast, southwest and extreme north. The
at the contaminated sites could minimize water-quality maximum concentrations of magnesium, nitrates and
degradation (Mathur and Pandey, 2017). sulphates were found as 307.6 mg/L, 600.16 mg/L and
890.0 mg/L, being 3.1 times, 13.3 times and 2.25 times
CONCLUSIONS higher than the standard acceptable limits, respectively.
The high concentration of salts could be attributed to the
Groundwater samples were analyzed from 68 dug agricultural run-off containing fertilizers, industrial
wells in Wardha district of Maharashtra. The spatial discharge through open drains and release from septic
distribution of groundwater physio-chemical tanks. Sulphates and chlorides are the significant
constituents was determined to identify the parameters with the highest number of samples
appropriateness of groundwater for different purposes. exceeding the standard limits and the highest chances of
The spatial expansion clearly describes the variations of disposal from agricultural run-off. The GWQI values

- 578 -
Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 17, No. 4, 2023

suggest that water quality remains within the marginal groundwater contamination compared to agricultural
category for most of the period and has improved to sources.
good in recent years.
Further improvement in water quality could be Limitations of Study
achieved through controlled usage of fertilizers and The present study is based on spatial analysis of
irrigation water to minimize run-off discharges. The groundwater samples and the development of the WQI
findings could assist decision-makers in categorizing index, whereas the analysis is based on physio-chemical
water resources for drinking and agricultural purposes. parameters. Including heavy metals in the investigation
Tapping individual industrial and domestic wastewater could provide new information about the study area.
origins to identify the quantum of pollution load could Integrating machine-learning techniques may bring new
provide an exact contribution of point sources to insights and improve the model's accuracy.

REFERENCES Barakat, A., El Baghdadi, M., Rais, J., Aghezzaf, B., and
Slassi, M. (2016). “Assessment of spatial and seasonal
Agarwal, A., and Joshi, H. (2010). “Application of nano- water-quality variation of Oum Er Rbia river
technology in the remediation of contaminated (Morocco) using multi-variate statistical techniques”.
groundwater: A short review”. Recent Research in International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 4
Science and Technology, 2(6), 51-57. (4), 284-292.
Akhtar, N., Ishak, M.I.S., Ahmad, M.I., Umar, K., Md Bawoke, G.T., and Anteneh, Z.L. (2020). “Spatial
Yusuff, M.S., Anees, M.T., Qadir, A., and Ali assessment and appraisal of groundwater suitability for
Almanasir, Y.K. (2021). “Modification of the water- drinking consumption in Andasa watershed using
quality index (WQI) process for simple calculation water-quality index (WQI) and GIS techniques: Blue
using the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) Nile basin, northwestern Ethiopia”. Cogent
method: A review”. Water, 13 (7), 905. Engineering, 7 (1), 1748950.
Alemu, C.M., Aycheh, Y.F., Angualie, G.S., and Ejigu, Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. (2001).
K.M. (2022). “Modeling on comprehensive evaluation "Canadian water-quality guidelines for the protection
of groundwater-quality status using geographic of aquatic life: CCME water-quality index 1.0, user's
information system (GIS) and water-quality index manual". In: Canadian Environmental Quality
(WQI) in case of Bahir Dar city, Amhara, Ethiopia”. Guidelines, 1999, Winnipeg.
APHA. (2005). “Standard methods for the examination of CGWB. (2021). “Aquifer map and groundwater
water and wastewater”. 21st edition, American management plan, Wardha district, Maharashtra, 2019-
Public Health Association/American Water Works 2020”.
Association/Water Environment Federation, Dandge, K.P., and Patil, S.S. (2022). “Spatial distribution
Washington DC. of groundwater-quality index using remote-sensing and
Arora, S., and Keshari, A.K. (2021). “Pattern recognition GIS techniques”. Applied Water Science, 12 (1), 1-18.
of water-quality variance in Yamuna river (India) using Duraisamy, S., Govindhaswamy, V., Duraisamy, K.,
hierarchical agglomerative cluster and principal- Krishinaraj, S., Balasubramanian, A., and
component analyses”. Environmental Monitoring and Thirumalaisamy, S. (2019). “Hydrogeochemical
Assessment, 193, 1-18. characterization and evaluation of groundwater quality
Banacos, P.C. (2011). “Box-whisker plots for local climate in Kangayam taluk, Tirupur district, Tamil Nadu, India,
datasets: Interpretation and creation using Excel using GIS techniques”. Environmental Geochemistry
2007/2010”. and Health, 41 (2), 851-873.

- 579 -
Groundwater Quality… Ashay Devidas Shende and Mrunmayee Manjari Sahoo

Fang, Y., Zheng, T., Zheng, X., Peng, H., Wang, H., Xin, Lumb, A., Sharma, T.C., and Bibeault, J.F. (2011). “A
J., and Zhang, B. (2020). “Assessment of the review of genesis and evolution of water-quality index
hydrodynamics role for groundwater quality using an (WQI) and some future directions”. Water Quality,
integration of GIS, water-quality index and multi- Exposure and Health, 3 (1), 11-24.
variate statistical techniques”. Journal of Machiwal, D., Cloutier, V., Güler, C., and Kazakis, N.
Environmental Management, 273, 111185. (2018). “A review of GIS-integrated statistical
Goitsemang, T., Das, D.M., Raul, S.K., Subudhi, C.R., and techniques for groundwater-quality evaluation and
Panigrahi, B. (2020). “Assessment of groundwater protection”. Environmental Earth Sciences, 77 (19), 1-
potential in the Kalahandi district of Odisha (India) 30.
using remote sensing, geographic information system Mathur, S., and Pandey, P. (2017). “Optimal design of in-
and analytical hierarchy process”. Journal of the Indian situ permeable reactive barrier”. WIT Transactions on
Society of Remote Sensing, 48 (12), 1739-1753. Ecology and the Environment, 216, 251-259.
Hosseininia, M., and Hassanzadeh, R. (2023). Mithani, I., Dahegaonkar, N.R., Shinde, J.S., and
“Groundwater-quality assessment for domestic and Tummawar, S.D. (2012). “Preliminary studies on
agricultural purposes using GIS, hydrochemical facies physico-chemical parameters of Wardha river,
and water-quality indices: Case study of Rafsanjan Chandrapur district, Maharashtra”. Journal of Research
plain, Kerman province, Iran”. Applied Water Science, in Ecology, 1, 14-18.
13 (3), 84. Mukate, S., Panaskar, D., Wagh, V., Muley, A., Jangam,
Hurley, T., Sadiq, R., and Mazumder, A. (2012). C., and Pawar, R. (2018). “Impact of anthropogenic
“Adaptation and evaluation of the Canadian council of inputs on water quality in Chincholi industrial area of
ministers of the environment water-quality index Solapur, Maharashtra, India”. Groundwater for
(CCME WQI) for use as an effective tool to Sustainable Development, 7, 359-371.
characterize drinking-water quality”. Water Research, Omar, P.J., Dwivedi, S.B., and Dikshit, P.K.S. (2020).
46 (11), 3544-3552. “Sustainable development and management of
Kalhor, K., Ghasemizadeh, R., Rajic, L., and Alshawabkeh, groundwater in Varanasi, India”. In: Advances in Water
A. (2019). “Assessment of groundwater quality and Resources Engineering and Management: Select
remediation in karst aquifers: A review”. Groundwater Proceedings of TRACE 2018 (201-209). Springer
for Sustainable Development, 8, 104-121. Singapore.
Kawo, N.S., and Karuppannan, S. (2018). “Groundwater- Pande, C.B., Moharir, K.N., Singh, S.K., and Dzwairo, B.
quality assessment using water-quality index and GIS (2020). “Groundwater evaluation for drinking purposes
technique in Modjo river basin, central Ethiopia”. using statistical index: Study of Akola and Buldhana
Journal of African Earth Sciences, 147, 300-311. districts of Maharashtra, India”. Environment,
Khafaji, M.S.A., Alwan, I.A., Khalaf, A.G., Bhat, S.A., and Development and Sustainability, 22 (8), 7453-7471.
Kuriqi, A. (2022). “Potential use of groundwater for Peddiwar, S.T., Ingole, D.K., and Nimbarte, G.R. (2022).
irrigation purposes in the middle Euphrates region, “Groundwater-quality assessment and its insinuations
Iraq”. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 8 (5), in some parts of Aheri taluka dist.-Gadchiroli,
1-14. Maharashtra”. In: IOP Conference Series: Earth and
Khatri, N., and Tyagi, S. (2015). “Influences of natural and Environmental Sciences 1032 (1), 012021. IOP
anthropogenic factors on surface and groundwater Publishing.
quality in rural and urban areas”. Frontiers in Life Poonam, T., Tanushree, B., and Sukalyan, C. (2013).
Science, 8 (1), 23-39. “Water-quality indices: Important tools for water-
Knüppe, K. (2011). “The challenges facing sustainable and quality assessment: A review”. International Journal of
adaptive groundwater management in South Africa”. Advances in Chemistry, 1 (1), 15-28.
Water Sa, 37 (1), 67-80.
Kumar, S., Dhyani, B.L., and Singh, R.J. (2013).
“Depleting groundwater resources of Rajasthan state
and its implications”. Popular Kheti, 1 (3), 64-68.

- 580 -
Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 17, No. 4, 2023

Ram, A., Tiwari, S.K., Pandey, H.K., Chaurasia, A.K., Şener, Ş., Şener, E., and Davraz, A. (2017). “Evaluation of
Singh, S., and Singh, Y.V. (2021). “Groundwater- water quality using water-quality index (WQI) method
quality assessment using water-quality index (WQI) and GIS in Aksu river (SW Turkey). “Science of the
under GIS framework”. Applied Water Science, 11, 1- Total Environment, 584, 131-144.
20. Singh, S.K., and Noori, A.R. (2022). “Groundwater-quality
Ravi, R., Aravindan, S., Shankar, K., and Balamurugan, P. assessment and modeling utilizing water-quality index
(2020). “Suitability of groundwater quality for and GIS in Kabul basin, Afghanistan”. Environmental
irrigation in and around the main Gadilam river basin Monitoring and Assessment, 194 (10), 673.
on the east coast of southern India”. Archives of Subba Rao, N., Sunitha, B., Adimalla, N., and Chaudhary,
Agriculture and Environmental Science, 5 (4), 554-562. M. (2020). “Quality criteria for groundwater use from
Ravichandran, R., Ayyavoo, R., Rajangam, L., Madasamy, a rural part of Wanaparthy district, Telangana state,
N., Murugaiyan, B., and Shanmugam, S. (2023). India, through ionic spatial distribution (ISD), entropy
“Comparative analysis of groundwater-quality index water-quality index (EWQI) and principal-component
for bhavani river basin using remote sensing and analysis (PCA)”. Environmental Geochemistry and
statistical analysis”. Jordan Journal of Civil Health, 42 (2), 579-599.
Engineering, 17 (1), 58-68. Sunitha, V., and Reddy, B.M. (2022). “Geochemical
Ravindra, K., Thind, P.S., Mor, S., Singh, T., and Mor, S. characterization, deciphering groundwater quality
(2019). “Evaluation of groundwater contamination in using pollution index of groundwater (PIG), water-
Chandigarh: Source identification and health-risk quality index (WQI) and geographical information
assessment”. Environmental Pollution, 255, 113062. system (GIS) in hard-rock aquifer, South India”.
Rawat, K.S., and Singh, S.K. (2018). “Water-quality Applied Water Science, 12 (3), 1-20.
indices and GIS-based evaluation of a decadal Vaiphei, S.P., Kurakalva, R.M., and Sahadevan, D.K.
groundwater quality”. Geology, Ecology and (2020). “Water-quality index and GIS-based technique
Landscapes, 2 (4), 240-255. for assessment of groundwater quality in Wanaparthy
Ray, S., and Ray, I.A. (2011). “Impact of population watershed, Telangana, India”. Environmental Science
growth on environmental degradation: Case of India”. and Pollution Research, 27 (36), 45041-45062.
Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 2 Wagh, V.M., Panaskar, D.B., Jacobs, J.A., Mukate, S.V.,
(8), 72-77. Muley, A.A., and Kadam, A.K. (2019). “Influence of
Rishma, C., and Katpatal, Y.B. (2019). “ENSO modulated hydro-geochemical processes on groundwater quality
groundwater variations in a river basin of central through geostatistical techniques in Kadava river basin,
India”. Hydrology Research, 50 (2), 793-806. western India”. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 12 (1),
Sadat-Noori, S.M., Ebrahimi, K., and Liaghat, A.M. 1-25.
(2014). “Groundwater-quality assessment using the WHO. (2022). “Guidelines for drinking-water quality:
water-quality index and GIS in Saveh-Nobaran aquifer, Fourth edition incorporating the first and second
Iran”. Environmental Earth Sciences, 71 (9), 3827- addenda”. Geneva: World Health Organization.
3843.

- 581 -