Assessment of Drinking Water Quality in Palanpur Division

Abstract

Through the analysis of triplicate samples taken from boreholes in nine chosen villages in the Palanpur Division of Gujarat, this study evaluates the groundwater quality in those villages. pH, fluoride, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity, turbidity, chloride, total hardness (TH), calcium, magnesium, total alkalinity, nitrate, sulfate, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were among the important physicochemical and biological parameters that were assessed. The findings showed spatial variability, with multiple samples surpassing the WHO, TDS, and fluoride limits as well as the BIS (10500:2012) standards. Villages like Madana and Gadh had extremely hard water and TDS levels above 1000 mg/L. In several locations, fluoride levels were close to 1 mg/L, which could be harmful to health. Localized organic contamination was indicated by elevated BOD and COD levels. The results emphasize that in order to guarantee drinkable groundwater and long-term water security in the area, routine monitoring, defluoridation units, water softening, and community-level interventions are required.