Groundwater quality of Agra district has been assessed considering twelve water quality parameters viz. pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solid (TDS), chloride (Clˉ), bicarbonate (HCO3ˉ), sulfate (SO4²ˉ), silicon (Si), iron (Fe), aluminium (Al), calcium (Ca⁺⁺), magnesium (Mg⁺⁺) and sodium (Na⁺). Data on groundwater quality of fifteen blocks of the Agra district were collected for nine years (2006-2014) from the Ground Water Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh. The data are investigated using Wilcox and Piper diagrams with the help of Aquachem 2011.1 software. The assessment on suitability of groundwater quality for the irrigation purpose is done using sodium percentage (Na%), Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR) and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) for all the blocks. The results show that groundwater of various blocks of Agra district is of Na⁺- Clˉ, Ca2⁺- Na⁺- HCO3ˉ, Ca²+ - Mg²+ - Clˉ, Ca²+ - HCO3ˉ, Ca²+ - Clˉ, Na⁺- CIˉ, Ca²+ - Mg²+ - Clˉ - SO4²ˉ and Ca²+ - Na+ - HCO3ˉ type. It is also found that the groundwater quality of the blocks Barauli Ahir, Fatehapur Sikari, Saiyan, Achhnera, Shamsabad, Khandouli, Pinahat, Jaitpur Kalan and Bah falls under very good to medium category and can be used for the irrigation purpose. However, the groundwater quality for the blocks Bichpuri, Akola, Fatehabad, Khairagarh, Etmadpur and Jagner falls under Medium to very bad category and hence cannot be used for the irrigation purpose. The outcome of the study would be helpful to the farmers, policy makers and water management authorities in planning and management of irrigation water.
Assessment of groundwater quality with special emphasis on nitrate contamination in parts of Varanasi City, Uttar Pradesh, India