Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
time to time on the consumption of such waters by improving its quality.
Groundwaterbyvirtueofitsdispositiongetsdissolvedwithmanyelementsand
in due course some elements reach the harmful stage. Some of the common dis-
easecausingelementsareF,Ca,NO
3
, Fe and As, which if present in more than
maximum permissible limits may inflict long lasting damage to human beings.
For the purpose of groundwater management, there is a requirement for improved
understanding of the controlling processes and the natural geologically controlled
baseline chemistry (Raju et al.
2011
).
In Delhi, drinking water supply is not from a single source; 70 % of the popula-
tion is getting supply from water ofYamuna river. Groundwater source like tube
wells, hand pumps and borings are the other sources of water supply in capital city.
The routine monitoring of groundwater can assure the population that the quality of
their drinking water is adequate. It can also be beneficial in detecting deterioration
in the quality of drinking water and facilitate appropriate timely corrective actions
with minimal negative impacts on population health (Hook
2005
; Kruawal et al.
2005
). The study of groundwater from a given area offers clues to various possible
trends of chemical alteration which the meteoric water undergoes before acquiring
distinct chemical characteristics and attaining a chemical steady state in the aquifer.
These identified trends in turn may be related to natural and anthropogenic caus-
ative factors (Raju
2012b
). An attempt is made in this paper to evaluate the hydro-
geochemical constituents of groundwater with respect to its suitability for domestic
and irrigation uses, referring to several aspects of chemical data interpretation in
both the pre- and post-monsoon seasons.
Geology and Area of Study
TheNationalCapitalTerritory(NCT)ofDelhiispartoftheIndo-Gangeticalluvial
plains.TheriverYamuna,atributaryoftheGanga,lowsthroughtheeasternpartof
theterritory,andaQuartziteRidge,risingbetweenupto91mabovethesurround-
ing plains, acts as a groundwater divide between the western and eastern parts of
Delhi.Thealluvialformationsoverlyingthequartziticbedrockhavedifferentnature
on either side of the ridge. The geological units that influence and control the
groundwater occurrence and movement are: alluvial plains on eastern and western
sidesoftheridge,Yamunaloodplaindeposits,isolatedandnearlyclosedChattarpur
alluvialbasinandNE-SWtrendingQuartziticRidge.Rapidurbanization,increased
agricultural activity and population explosion are attributed as the major cause of
watercrisisinDelhi(Lorenzenetal.
2010
). The situation becomes grimmer during
dry seasons and large numbers of residents have to depend on groundwater to aug-
ment the municipal water supply.
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, New Delhi (Fig.
1
) is a part of Aravali-
Delhi-Hardwar ridge, consists of NS to NE-SW trending structural ridges, inselberges
andcomposedoffoldedandjointedquartzites.Sincethecampusissituatedinthe
Aravali quartzite rock, the groundwater supply depends on secondary porosity
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