Assessment of Post-Monsoon Groundwater Quality and its Suitability for Drinking and Domestic use in Sukinda Valley, Odisha, India

Sukinda Valley in Odisha is famous worldwide for rich occurrence of chromite ore. The present study on the groundwater quality of Sukinda area was done in the post-monsoon period, 2023 in order to access its suitability for drinking and domestic use keeping in view the large- scale mining and industrial activities in the region. To draw a reasonable conclusion, ground water samples were collected from 64 locations and analyzed for key physicochemical parameters such as pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Total hardness (TH), major and trace elements such as Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, CO32-, HCO3-, Cl-, F-, SO42- and Cr (Total). The analytical results indicate that the groundwater in this region is slightly alkaline and hard in nature which needs softening treatment for domestic use. Further, the groundwater is not suitable for drinking purpose in a few places, mostly mining areas, due to chromium concentration exceeding the permissible limit specified by the BIS (2012) drinking water standards. However, in most of the locations, groundwater can be made suitable for drinking after removal of excess iron. The Piper diagram reveals that the dominant hydro geochemical facies in the study area is Ca–Mg–CO3 followed by Ca–Mg–SO4–Cl. The study highlights the necessity for regular monitoring of water quality and appropriate treatment measures to minimize health risks.