The increasing reliance on groundwater for the human consumption in the Mid-Ganga Plain, coupled with the declining water quality, poses critical risks to public health and environment sustainability. This study explores the fate and hydrogeological evolution of contaminants in shallow groundwater through analysis of 206 samples collected during pre-monsoon (PrM) and Post-monsoon (PoM) seasons. Chemometric analysis reveal concentrations of nitrate (NO3-), sulfate (SO42-), and chloride (Cl-) exceed WHO drinking water standards, indicating significant anthropogenic inputs from agricultural runoff and wastewater infiltration. Key hydrogeochemical processes like rock-water interaction, silicate weathering, and ion exchange were identified using geochemical modelling, chemometric techniques, ionic ratio analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) accounted for over 83% of dataset variability, elucidating dominant contaminant sources and geochemical transformations. Alarming, 33% (PrM) and 37.8% (PoM) of samples were rated poor to unsuitable for drinking based on the drinking water quality index (DWQI). However, the irrigation water quality index (IWQI) indicates that approximately 98% of samples remains suitable for agricultural use. These findings underscore the urgent need for the targeted risk mitigation, improved groundwater governance, and sustainable remediation strategies to ensure long-term water security in the Mid- Ganga Plain.
Anurag Verma, Anand Kumar, Prabhakar Sharma, Aviram Sharma, Rahul Kumar Sinha, Shyam Phartyal, Hydrogeochemical Processes and Anthropogenic Impacts on Groundwater Quality in the Middle Gangetic Plains, Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 2025, 100818, ISSN 2772-4166