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Environmental Geosciences

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Groundwater quality as a factor for identification of recharge zones

¹ Department of Geology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530 003, India; srnandipati{at}redifffmail.com

N. Subba Rao is a professor with more than 20 years of teaching and research experience. His area of specialization is hydrogeology and environmental geology, with special emphasis on water-rock interaction, groundwater quality and pollution, watershed management, groundwater modeling, and land-use planning and management. He is author of more than 70 original research articles published in refereed national and international journals.

Groundwater samples collected from a developing urban area of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India, are analyzed for major ion chemistry to characterize the groundwater quality as a factor for water resources management. Precambrian rocks and Quaternary unconsolidated sediments occupy the area. The groundwaters are both fresh and brackish, the latter being most dominant. The occurrence of a few freshwater zones in the area shows facies, with higher ratios of total alkalinity (TA)/total hardness (TH; >1) and (>1), considering such zones as recharge areas. Most of the area is classified as a discharge zone, with facies and lower ratios of TA/TH (<1) and (<1), where a brackish-water environment occurs. Hence, the ratios of TA/TH and can be considered as factors to delineate the areal extent of recharge and discharge zones. Because most of the area comes under the discharge zone, the study emphasizes the need for sufficient rainwater-harvesting points to ensure recharge to aquifers. This could also help in reducing the severity of brackishness from the groundwaters. The study further suggests that the area should have sufficient disposal of anthropogenic sources and protected water supply schemes for sustainable development.