A PAPER ON "GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS FOR FLUORIDE IN GROUNDWATER OF MALAPRABHA RIVER BASIN USING GIS"

This study was conducted to evaluate fluoride contamination in ground water in part of Malaprabha river basin using GIS where ground water is the main source of drinking as well as irrigation. The water samples are collected manually from the bore wells and at each sampling location GPS is used to point out the location. An integrated analysis of chemical parameters especially of fluoride is done as per standard guideline values. Among the 42 collected samples from study area 8 samples were not potable due to high fluoride concentration, one sample was not potable due to Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), and six samples were not potable due to hardness. A correlation study of water quality parameters with fluoride content was performed on groundwater samples of Hungund Taluk, of Bagalkot district. Fluoride has a significant positive correlation with bicarbonate ions and with sodium (Na+) but higher negative correlation with calcium (Ca2+). The rock formation of the study area consists of fluoride bearing minerals; an ion exchange process which takes place between ground water and the rock strata has been studied. Ion exchange between Ca2+ and Na+ due to the movement of groundwater may also result in high F- associated with high Na+ and low Ca2+ concentration. The ground water quality information maps of the entire study area were prepared using GIS spatial analysis for all the parameters