Assessing the Heavy Metal Contamination Prevailing in Groundwater at Rishipur Village, West Bengal, India

The recent surge in interest surrounding water contamination has prompted a study to evaluate the water quality of groundwater in Rishipur village, Malda District, West Bengal, India. The area's groundwater is crucial for drinking, residential, and irrigation purposes due to its proximity to agricultural fields, where most local residents live. The intended purpose of the study is to comprehensively appraise the groundwater quality of a dug well, specifically analysing the intensities of different heavy-metals existing in the water, resulting in valuable insights into its quality. The native residents rely on the usage of this groundwater for drinking and domestic purposes without any purification. However, potential contamination may be present due to nearby agricultural activities. Thus, the study will enable us to make recommendations for mitigating any identified contamination. Exemplary samples of water from a well were consistently collected near the agricultural region over the course of a year, from April 2021 to March 2022. The groundwater samples were analysed for the presence of heavy elements: iron; zinc; copper; manganese; nickel; chromium; cobalt and lead to evaluate the water excellence. To ascertain the overall water eminence status, the Heavy-Metal-Pollution-Index; (HPI), was calculated, which is considered an efficient and reliable technique for water eminence assessment. In this study, the value of HPI; 101.66 in January, indicates high heavy-metal pollution, although it remained within the desired range for the rest of the months. In the analysis of the descriptive statistical data, both substantial positive and negative relations were observed, which were illustrated in a correlation coefficient matrix. Furthermore, the interaction of heavy-metal variables was also explored by utilising the R-Square values derived from the multiple linear regression analysis, which allowed to gain insights into how these variables interplayed with one another. The investigation conclusively established that the eminence of water is deemed appropriate for consumption alongside other domiciliary purposes, with the exception of January.