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Suitability of groundwater around Pallavaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

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Poll Res. 33 (3) : 541-546 (2014)
Copyright © EM International
ISSN 0257–8050

SUITABILITY OF GROUNDWATER AROUND PALLAVARAM,

CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU
D. SIVAKUMAR1, M. THIRUVENGADAM2, R. ANAND3 AND M. PONPANDIAN4
1,2,3,4
Department of Civil Engineering,
Vel Tech High Tech Dr.RangarajanDr.Sakunthala Engineering College,Avadi, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

ABSTRACT

The groundwater quality was assessed nearby places of Pallavaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
The selected physico-chemical parameters were pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved
solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), calcium (Ca) magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl),
nitrate (NO3), sulphate (SO4) and chromium ion (Cr(VI)). In order to find out the suitability of the
groundwater for drinking purpose, compared the value of selected parameters with the value of
selected parameters from BIS drinking water quality standard. The physico-chemical study of the
groundwater systems of selected in and around Pallavaram industrial estate showed that
groundwater is nearly acidic and mostly oxidizing in nature. Further, the water quality index
(WQI) rating was obtained to quantify the overall groundwater quality status of the area. The
results indicated that the groundwater is not fit for drinking purpose, and can be used for drinking
purpose after treatment.

KEY WORDS : Physico-Chemical Parameters, Tannery Industry Effluent, Water Quality

Index.

INTRODUCTION groundwater contamination due to physico-

In India, due to the lack of availability of adequate
surface water resources, most urban and semi-urban
people depend on the groundwater resource for
their daily needs (Sivakumar and Swaminathan,
2008). Groundwater is ultimate, most suitable fresh
water resource used for domestic, industrial and
agricultural purposes (Mohammed and Gupta,
2009). Groundwater is the major source particularly
used as drinking water in both urban and rural
areas (Gupta, et al., 2009). Nowadays, groundwater
has become a scarce resource (Saravanakumar and
Ranjith Kumar, 2011), because, the use of
groundwater has gradually increased due to the
increase of water demand and the shortage of
surface water.
As a result of which there is an enormous
pressure on the groundwater which has led to it’s
over exploitation and subsequently its
contamination and pollution (Jinwal and Dixit, 2008;
Adekunle, 2009). Considering the effects of
1,2
Professor, 3,4Assistant Professor
Corresponding author’s email: shri_sivakumar@hotmail.com
chemical changes, sea water intrusion (Ravisankar
and Poogothai, 2008), heavy metal contamination
(Mohammed and Gupta, 2009) and industrial
pollution (Mohammed and Gupta, 2009;
Saravanakumar and Ranjith Kumar, 2011;
Sivakumar and Shankar, 2012a, 2012b; Sivakumar, et
al., 2013b), solid waste contamination (Sivakumar,
2011; Sivakumar Durairaj, 2013a; Sivakumar
Durairaj, 2013c), the present study is to assess the
groundwater quality of 5 selected sites, nearby
places of Pallavaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Similar to previous researchers (Gupta, et al.,
2009; Pandey and Tiwari, 2009; Saravanakumar and
Ranjith Kumar, 2011), the selected physico-chemical
parameters for this present study were pH, electrical
conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total
hardness (TH), calcium (Ca2+) magnesium (Mg2+),
sodium (Na+), chloride (Cl2-), nitrate (NO3-), sulphate
(SO42-) and chromium ion (Cr6+). Further, the Water
Quality Index (WQI) is determined to assess the
suitability of groundwater collected in and around
542 SIVAKUMAR ET AL
tannery industrial estate of Pallavaram, for drinking
purposes.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study Area
Pallavaram (‘originally Pallava Puram) is a town
and a second-grade municipality located in the
suburbs of Chennai. It forms a part of the Tambaram
Taluk of Kanchipuram district. It is located 17 km
from Chennai city. Pallavaram is known for its
cantonment and bustling residential colonies. The
suburb is served by Pallavaram railway station of
the Chennai suburban railway network.
The present-day town of Pallavaram has its
origins in the settlement of Pallavapuram, which
existed during the time of the 7th century Pallva King
Mahendravarman 1. The Pallavas have left titles in
early Pallava script at the cave temple in
Pallavaram, which date back to 600 A.D. The
remains of a cave shrine constructed by the Pallava
ruler have been found at the spot where an Islamic
Dargah now stands.
The PallavaramPeriyaeri (literally ‘big lake’),
once a sprawling water body covering about 189
acres, has shrunk to a small patch on the lines of a
pond on one side and a hillock of garbage on the
other. The dumping of garbage from all the 42 wards
of the Pallavaram Municipality for nearly a decade
is the main reason for the shrinkage of the water
body. Nearly 25 acres had been lost to
encroachments alone. The construction of
Pallavaram- Thoraipakkam Road, a project initiated
to connect Chennai Airport and Rajiv Gandhi Salai
had split the lake into two halves. The portion of the
lake on the southern side of the road has been
completely covered with garbage. On the northern
side of the road, the discharge of sewage from
commercial establishments and homes and effluents
from some of the leather manufacturing units in
Nagalakeni has affected the quality of the water.
Collection of Water Samples and Analysis
The selected sites for the investigations are
Nagalkeni (L1), MalanganandaPuram (L2), Puduvai
Nagar (L3), Raja Joseph Colony (L4), and Nagappa
Nagar (L5). Collected the groundwater samples in
a sterilized bottle and immediately stored in a
refrigerator to avoid contaminations at 5 °C. The
groundwater samples collected in the month of July
2013. Analyzed the collected groundwater samples
for various physico-chemical parameters like pH
was measured with the help of pH meter, electrical
conductivity (EC) was measured with the help of an
electrical conductivity meter, anions like Ca, Mg,
and Na and cations like Cl 2 , SO4, and NO 3 were
measured as per the standard procedures stipulated
by APHA (2005). The Cr(VI) was measured as per
APHA, 2005.The values of these physico-chemical
parameters obtained from groundwater of different
areas are used to determine the suitability of
groundwater for drinking purpose. The BIS
drinking water standard is used for checking the
groundwater suitability for drinking purposes.
Water Quality Index
Water quality index indicates a single number like a
grade that expresses the overall water quality at a
certain area and time based on several water quality
parameters. It is also defined as a rating reflecting a
composite influence, on overall quality of water, of
a number of water quality parameters. But the uses
of water are manifold and quality of water required
for each use varies tremendously. The main purpose
of WQI is to turn complex water quality data into
information that is understandable and usable by
the public. Computation of water quality index is
about three steps and is followed.
In the first step, each of the parameters has been
assigned a weight (wi) according to its relative
importance in the overall quality of water for
drinking purposes. The maximum weight of 5 has
been assigned to the parameter nitrate due to its
major importance in water quality assessment.
Magnesium, which gives a weight of 1 as
magnesium by itself may not be that harmful.
In the Second step, relative weight (Wi) is
computed from the following equation:
Wi= .. (1)
In the third step, a quality rating scale (qi) for
each parameter is assigned by dividing its
concentration in each water sample by its respective
standard according to the guidelines laid down in
the BIS and the result is multiplied by 100:
qi= ( Ci/ Si ) x100 .. (2)
where qi is the quality rating, Ci is the
concentration of each chemical parameter in each
water sample in mg/L, and Si is the BIS (Bureau of
Indian standards) water standard for each chemical
parameter in mg/L according to the guidelines of
the IS: 10500. For computing the WQI, the SIi is first
 SUITABILITY OF GROUNDWATER AROUND PALLAVARAM, CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU 543

determined for each chemical parameter, which is standard, pH of L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 samples are
then used to determine the WQI as per the following within the desirable limit (Table 2).
equation
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
SIi= Wi x qi .. (3)
Table 2. BIS Drinking Water Quality Standard
WQI = .. (4)
Parameters BIS Standards (IS : 10500, 91
revision, 2003)
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
pH 6.5-8.5
EC, -
Various physico-chemical parameters in a
TDS, mg/L 500
groundwater were analysed for the parameters pH, TH, mg/L 300
electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids Ca, mg/L 75
(TDS), total hardness (TH), calcium (Ca 2+ ) Mg mg/L 30
magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), Na, mg/L 200*
chloride (Cl2-), nitrate (NO3-), sulphate (SO42-) and Cl2, mg/L 250
the results are discussed below. The experimental SO4, mg/L 200
results are presented in Table 1. The experimental NO3, mg/L 45
results are to be compared with BIS drinking water Cr(VI), mg/L 0.05
quality standard (Table 2). The statistical analysis *Standard of WHO
includes minimum, maximum, mean, standard
deviation was done using SPSS 15.0 (Table 3). Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) generally reflects the
amount of minerals content that dissolved in the
pH water, and this controls its suitability for use. High
The pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration of total dissolved solids may cause
concentration in water. The pH value of water adverse taste effects. Highly mineralized water may
indicates whether the water is acidic or alkaline. also deteriorate domestic plumbing and appliances.
Drinking water with a pH between 6.5 and 8.5 is In this study, the TDS of selected wells ranged from
generally considered satisfactory. 1362.39 to 2431.96 mg/L (Table 1), and the average
Acidic water tends to be corrosive to plumbing value of 1849.73 mg/L (Table 3), which exceeds the
and faucets, particularly, if the pH is below 6. standard value of 500 mg/L (Table 2). Thus, as BIS
Alkaline waters are less corrosive; water with a pH standard, pH of L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 samples are
above 8.5 may tend to have a biter or soda-like taste. exceeding the desirable limits (Table 2).
The pH of selected wells is ranging from 5.86 to 6.86 Total hardness
(Table 1) and the average value is 6.10 (Table 3),
which indicates that the water samples from the The water samples from all the water samples are
selected wells are slightly acidic in nature. As BIS extremely hard with the range of between 165.00

Table 1. The Experimental Results of All Physico-chemical Parameters

Sample No. / L1 L2 L3 L4 L5
Parameters
pH 6.86 5.96 6.24 5.76 5.68
EC 3152.0 3799.9 2865.4 2128.7 2504.8
TDS 2017.3 2431.9 1833.9 1362.4 1603.1
TH 605.35 165.00 368.50 286.04 396.00
Ca 148.21 281.63 391.54 40.21 363.85
Mg 39.05 34.76 44.15 24.19 13.35
Na 457.18 412.25 356.78 390.58 302.25
Cl2 585.89 560.28 478.60 510.25 435.65
SO4 624.36 478.50 567.60 485.10 573.10
NO3 41.50 88.22 120.03 88.66 114.40
Cr(VI) 0.19 0.09 0.07 0.11 0.16
All parameters are expressed as mg/L except pH and EC is expressed as µmhos/cm
544 SIVAKUMAR ET AL

and 605.35 mg/L (Table 1) and the average value is water depends on the composition.
364.17 mg/L (Table 3), which is higher than the
Sodium
desirable limits as per the BIS standard (Table 2).
This hardness is as the result of the dissolution of The sodium present in the water samples of the
limestone deposit, which may be present selected area is varied from 302.25 to 457.18 mg/L
underneath the study areas, which produce calcium (Table 1) and the average value is 383.81 mg/L
carbonate (CaCO3), and the excess concentration of (Table 3). The dissolution of table salt or halite
hardness. Therefore, it may probably conclude that (NaCl) is sometimes cited as a source of both
this limestone deposit is considered responsible for sodium and chloride in groundwater. Another
this. reason for the presence of sodium might be calcium
and magnesium replacement in the solution of
Calcium
sodium on the surface of certain clays by ion
Calcium contributes to the hardness of water and it exchange process. Another possible source of
is the fifth most common element found in most sodium in ground water is the dissolution of silicate
natural waters. The sources of calcium in and tannery industry wastewater.
groundwater especially in sedimentary rocks are
Nitrate
calcite, aragonite, gypsum and anhydride. The
calcium concentration in the study area is quite high. Sources of nitrate in water include human activities
The calcium varied from 148.21 to 404.21 mg/L such as application of fertilizer in farming practices,
(Table 1) and the average value is 317.89 mg/L human and animal waste. The permissible limit for
(Table 3), indicates, the calcium value is not nitrate concentration as per BIS is 45 mg/L (Table 2).
exceeding the desirable range as per the BIS The nitrate concentration in the study area varies
standard (Table 2). The above variation of calcium from 41.50 to 120.03 mg/L (Table 1). The mean
is due to the presence of higher concentration of concentration of nitrate 90.56 mg/L (Table 3), which
gypsum/lime stone beneath the good point. is lesser than the permissible limit.
Magnesium Chloride
Magnesium is one of the most common elements in Sources of chloride in water include human
the earth’s crust. It is present in all natural waters. It activities such as application of fertilizer in farming
is an important contributor to water hardness. All practices, discharge of tannery industry wastewater
study area has more magnesium concentration contains chloride and sea water intrusion. The
varied from 13.35 to 44.15 mg/L (Table 1) and the permissible limit for nitrate concentration as per BIS
average value is 31.10 mg/L (Table 3), indicates the is 250 mg/L (Table 2). The chloride concentration in
magnesium concentration is not higher than the the study area varies from 435.62 to 585.89 mg/L
desirable limits (Table 2). The sources of magnesium (Table 1). The mean concentration of nitrate 514.13
in natural water are dolomites and mafic minerals mg/L (Table 3), which is greater than the
(amphibole) in rocks. The solubility of dolomite in permissible limit.
Sulphate
Table 3. Statistical Analysis for the Selected Well Samples
Sulphate occurs in water as the inorganic sulphate
Sample No. /MIN. MAX. MEAN S.D.
Parameters
salts as well as dissolved gas (H2S). Sulphate is not
a noxious substance although the high sulphate
pH 5.68 6.86 6.10 0.48 concentration in the water may have a laxative
EC 2128.73 3799.94 2890.20 637.40
TDS 1362.39 2431.96 1849.73 407.93
TH 165.00 605.35 364.17 162.00 Table 4. The Standard Ranges of WQI
Ca 148.21 404.21 317.89 106.18
WQI Value Water Quality
Mg 13.35 44.15 31.10 12.35
Na 302.25 457.18 383.81 58.35 <50 Excellent
Cl2 435.65 585.89 514.13 60.65 50-100 Good
SO4 478.50 624.36 545.73 62.46 100-200 Poor
NO3 41.50 120.03 90.56 31.04 200-300 Very Poor
Cr(VI) 0.07 0.19 0.12 0.05 >300 Not fit for drinking
 SUITABILITY OF GROUNDWATER AROUND PALLAVARAM, CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU 545

effect. The water samples taken from the study area parameters. Water quality index is calculated based
varied from 478.50 to 624.36 mg/L (Table 1) and the on the standard values (Table 2), average values
average value is 545.73 mg/L (Table 3), which is (Table 3) and weight factors of water quality
greater than the permissible limit of 200 mg/L as per parameters (Table 5).
the BIS standard (Table 2). The variation signifies the In the second step, relative weight (Wi) is
differential dissolution of gypsum, which is computed using the Eqn.1, the results are presented
predicted to be underneath the wells. in Table 5. In the third step, the quality rating qi is
calculated using the Eqn.2, the results are presented
Chromium
in Table 5. Then, the water quality sub index Si is
The Cr(VI) in water samples of all selected areas calculated using the Eqn.3, the results are presented
varied from 0.07 to 0.19 mg/L (Table 1) and the in Table 5. Finally, the WQI is calculated using the
average value is 0.12 mg/L (Table 4), which is Eqn.4, the results are presented in Table 5. The Table
greater than the permissible like of 0.04 mg/L as per 5 represents the overall quality of groundwater
BIS standard (Table 2). The variation is mainly due around the Nagalkeni industrial estate. The WQI
to discharged effluent concentration, movement and for each selected area (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5) are
direction of groundwater flow and soil presented in Table 6.
characteristics of the study area.
Table 6. Water Quality Index for the Selected Water
Water Quality Index
Samples
The standard ranges of water quality index are Sample No. Name of the Place WQI Water Type
given in Table 4. The water quality index of the
study area selected is determined by using the L1 Nagalkeni 238.88 Very Poor
weighted arithmetic mean method. L2 MalanganandaPuram 218.18 Very Poor
L3 Puduvai Nagar 222.72 Very Poor
In the first step, the selected 10 parameters (pH,
L4 Raja Joseph Colony 204.52 Very Poor
total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), L5 Nagappa Nagar 230.95 Very Poor
calcium (Ca2+) magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+),
Chloride (Cl2-), nitrate (NO3-), sulphate (SO42-) and
chromium ion (Cr6+) have been assigned a weight From Table 6, it may be observed that the selected
(wi) value, based on their perceived effects on all areas are exceeding the WQI values of 100 and
primary health (Table 1). The maximum weight of 5 overall average of WQI in Pallavaram (223.05)
has been assigned to parameters like pH, nitrate and industrial estate is also exceeding the value of 100.
total dissolved solids due to their major importance Hence, groundwater cannot be consumed as
in water quality assessment. Least value of 1 has drinking water directly, but it can be consumed after
been assigned to the parameter magnesium and the proper treatment.
range between 1 and 5 is assigned to the rest of the
CONCLUSION

Table 5. The Average Values and Weight Factor, Relative Weight Factor, Quality Rating, Water Quality Sub Index of
Water Quality Parameters
Parameters Average Weight Relative Weight Quality Water Quality
Values Factor (wi) Factor (Wi) Rating (qi) Sub Index (SIi)
pH 6.86 5 0.14 87.14 11.78
TDS 2017.29 5 0.14 369.95 49.99
TH 605.35 4 0.11 121.39 13.12
Ca 148.21 2 0.05 423.85 22.91
Mg 39.05 1 0.03 103.68 2.80
Na 457.18 3 0.08 191.90 15.56
Cl2 585.89 3 0.08 205.65 16.67
SO4 624.36 4 0.11 272.87 29.50
NO3 41.50 5 0.14 201.25 27.20
Cr(VI) 0.19 5 0.14 248.00 33.51
WQI 223.05
 546 SIVAKUMAR ET AL
The groundwater quality was assessed nearby
places of Pallavaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
In order to find out the suitability of groundwaters
for drinking purpose, compared the value of
selected parameters pH, electrical conductivity (EC),
total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH),
calcium (Ca) magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na),
chloride (Cl), nitrate (NO3 ), sulphate (SO4) and
chromium ion (Cr(VI)) with the value of selected
parameters from BIS drinking water quality
standard. Further, the water quality index (WQI)
rating was obtained to quantify the overall
groundwater quality status of the area. The physico-
chemical study of the groundwater systems of
selected in and around Pallavaram industrial estate
showed that groundwater is nearly acidic and
mostly oxidizing in nature. The results of WQI
indicated that the groundwater is not fit for drinking
purpose, but it can be used for drinking purpose
after treatment. The variation is mainly due to the
dissolved constituents, which exists as ions,
molecules or solid particles, these constituents not
only undergo chemical and physical reactions but
also redistribution take place among the various
ionic species this can also take place between the
liquid and solid phases.
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