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Ratandeep, Dharmani AB, Verma M, Rani S, Narang A, Singh MR, Saya L, Hooda S. Unravelling groundwater contamination and health-related implications in semi-arid and cold regions of India. JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY 2024; 261:104303. [PMID: 38244426 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2024.104303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Groundwater, a vital global resource, is essential for sustaining life and various human activities. However, its quality and availability face increasing threats from both natural and human-induced factors. Widespread contamination, arising from both natural origins and human activities such as agriculture, industry, mining, improper waste disposal, and wastewater release, poses significant risks to human health and water security. India, known for its dense population and pronounced groundwater challenges, serves as a prominent case study. Notably, in most of its regions, groundwater resources have been found to be severely contaminated by various chemical, biological, and radioactive contaminants. This review presents an examination of contamination disparities across various states of semi-arid and cold regions, encompassing diverse assessment methods. The studies conducted in semi-arid regions of North, South, West, and East India highlight the consistent presence of fluorides and nitrates majorly, as well as heavy metals in some areas, with values exceeding the permissible limits recommended by both the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the World Health Organization (WHO). These contaminants pose skeletal and dental threats, methemoglobinemia, and even cancer. Similarly, in cold regions, nitrate exposure and pesticide residues, reportedly exceeding BIS and WHO parameters, pose gastrointestinal and other waterborne health concerns. The findings also indicated that the recommended limits of several quality parameters, including pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness, and total alkalinity majorly surpassed. Emphasising the reported values of the various contaminant levels simultaneously with addressing the challenges and future perspectives, the review unravels the complex landscape of groundwater contamination and its health-related implications in semi-arid and cold regions of India.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ratandeep
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India
| | - Akshat Bhanu Dharmani
- School Of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 752050, India
| | - Manisha Verma
- Department of Physics, Acharya Narendra Dev College, (University of Delhi), Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Sanjeeta Rani
- Department of Physics, Acharya Narendra Dev College, (University of Delhi), Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Anita Narang
- Department of Botany, Acharya Narendra Dev College, (University of Delhi), Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - M Ramananda Singh
- Department of Chemistry, Kirorimal College, (University of Delhi), Delhi 110009, India
| | - Laishram Saya
- Department of Chemistry, Sri Venkateswara College (University of Delhi), Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi 110021, India; Polymer Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Acharya Narendra Dev College, (University of Delhi), Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi - 110019, India.
| | - Sunita Hooda
- Polymer Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Acharya Narendra Dev College, (University of Delhi), Govindpuri, Kalkaji, New Delhi - 110019, India.
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Raja V, Neelakantan MA. Toxic uranium contamination in groundwater of Thoothukudi district, India: Evaluation of health risks using the geochemical and statistical approach. TOXIN REV 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/15569543.2022.2150648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Velayutham Raja
- Chemistry Research Centre, National Engineering College, Kovilpatti, India
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