| Distribution of uranium and fluoride and their relationship with hydrogeochemical processes in groundwater of Muktsar, Punjab, India Prafulla Kumar Sahoo1; Hardev Singh Virk2; Umakant Chaudhari3; 11DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF PUNJAB, V.P.O. GHUDDA, 151401 BATHINDA, INDIA, Punjab, India; 2SGGS WORLD UNIVERSITY FATEHGARH SAHIB, SURREY, India; 3CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF PUNJAB, V.P.O. GHUDDA, 151401 BATHINDA, INDIA, Punjab, India; PAPER: 533/Physics/Regular (Oral) SCHEDULED: 17:50/Mon. 28 Nov. 2022/Arcadia 3 ABSTRACT: Muktsar district of southwest Punjab (India) has gained significant attention due to elevated levels of different groundwater contaminants such as fluoride and uranium. A total of 38 groundwater samples were collected in 2022 and analyzed for physico-chemical parameters, major cations and anions and potentially toxic elements (PTEs), especially fluoride (F-) and uranium (U). Fluoride concentration ranged from 0.3 to 9.8 mg/L, with 60 % of samples exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) limit (1.5 mg/L), and U ranges from 14.9 to 456.6 µg/L, with 95% samples exceeded the WHO limit (30 µg/L). Sodium and Mg are major cations whereas sulfate (SO42-), and chloride (Cl-) are major anions in this area. Spearman Correlation analysis showed a strong positive correlation of U with F-, TDS, and bicarbonate (HCO3-) concentration in groundwater. Source identification of PTEs in groundwater was identified by applying multivariate statistical analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). This indicates that groundwater contamination of U and F- in this region is due to geogenic as well anthropogenic sources. Elevated level of this contamination along with high salinity makes this groundwater unfit for drinking and agriculture purpose. |
