Physico-Chemical analysis of groundwater samples in the Varahanadi watershed, India

Groundwater quality analysis was carried out in the Varahanadi basin. In the last few years, groundwater has become one of the main sources of irrigation in this area, supplementing the canal surface irrigation system. In the tail end villages of Puducherry, groundwater is the only source of irrigation. Groundwater samples collected from sixteen villages were analysed for various physico-chemical parameters and compared with the standard desirable limits of water quality parameters prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards and World Health Organisation. It was observed that the bed rock of the study area influenced the groundwater quality resulting in higher concentrations of calcium, potassium and phosphates in the groundwater samples.