Abstract

The study was carried out to assess occurrence and distribution of iron and manganese concentration in groundwater from the Chandrapur district, Central India. For this purpose, 36 sampling locations were identified and groundwater sampling was carried out by grab sampling method in winter, summer and post-monsoon season. Heavy metals concentration for iron and manganese were estimated by ICP-OES. Groundwater sources are divided into two types of wells viz. shallow well (<99 ft bgl) and deep well (>100 ft bgl). It is observed that in the summer season from shallow well maximum (n = 3) sampling locations have groundwater above the acceptable standard (IS 10500:2012, <0.3 mg/L). A similar trend of results is observed in the deep well. During summer as groundwater level decreases the heavy metal (e.g. iron) got accumulated in that limited water thus results in elevated iron concentration. In the case of manganese, in the winter season from deep well maximum number (n = 12) of sampling locations have groundwater above the acceptable limit (IS 10500:2012, <0.1 mg/L). A similar trend of results is observed in shallow well also. The dissolution of ores and minerals in the winter season may have resulted in these observations. The shallow well is found to be comparatively safer than deep well in terms of groundwater iron and manganese concentration. Deep well owing to their proximity to minerals and ores present in the earth crust may have elevated iron and manganese concentration. Inhabitants should be made aware of these heavy metals from groundwater and alternative water source should be made available to them.

Key Words:Iron, Manganese, Groundwater quality, Heavy metal, Chandrapur, Central India