Where Access to Safe Drinking Water Is Limited: An Assessment & Geo‐Spatial Mapping of Drinking Water Quality in Angul‐Talcher Industrial Belt

ABSTRACT Access to clean drinking water is a critical component of public health and a major target of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6). This study investigates the spatial variability of drinking water quality across the Angul‐Talcher industrial belt of Odisha, India, a region known for intensive mining and industrial activity. A total of 101 water samples from both treated and untreated sources were analyzed for 11 physicochemical parameters—pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), chloride, total alkalinity, hardness, fluoride, iron, nitrate, sulfate, and arsenic. Spatial distribution patterns were generated using inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation within a GIS environment and evaluated against Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) drinking‐water criteria. The weighted arithmetic water quality index (WQI) was employed to synthesize data pertaining to all 11 parameters and classify water quality of all samples into five categories: excellent (8.9%), good (26.7%), poor (17.8%), very poor (10.9%) and unfit for consumption (35.6%). In aggregate, 64.4% of samples were ranked from poor to unfit, indicating substantial water‐quality deterioration in the study area. Spatially, 38.47%, 14.97% and 19.01% of the total area are estimated to have water quality classified as poor, very poor, and unfit for consumption, respectively, together accounting for 484 km 2 (72.45%) of the study area. Elevated levels of hardness, total alkalinity, turbidity, iron and fluoride observed in 60.4%, 63.4%, 52.5%, 30.7%, 15.8% samples respectively, contributing to water degradation. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed significant associations among multiple parameters, implying a role of both geogenic sources and anthropogenic impact in shaping contamination patterns. Spatial variability in water quality was further related to local land‐use pattern. This comprehensive study contributes to evidence‐based policymaking by providing a critical scientific foundation for targeted efforts to curtail groundwater degradation as well as to make provision of drinking water in industrialized areas.