Abstract
A total of 109 groundwater samples were collected from the shallow alluvial aquifer of the Ganga Alluvial Plain during May - June, 2010 and were analyzed for their suitability of drinking and irrigation purposes. Geochemically, the groundwater belongs to the Ca-Mg-HCO3 facies with neutral pH. Natural background levels were established as [HCO3 (299), Cl (2.7), F (0.26), NO3 (0.57), SO4 (5.92), Ca (7.35), Mg (10.93), K (1.32),Na (9.97) in mg/l] and [Si (3.53), Al (66), As (0.37), Ba (142), B (31), Cd (0.06), Cr (1.00), Cu (0.50), Fe (257), Pb (0.20), Mn (45.0), Ni (2.30), P (15), Rb (0.56), Sr (300), Zn (2.0) in µg/l].The urban groundwater is revealed by high enrichment factors of Cu, Al, NO3, Cl, Rb, Fe, Sr, Zn, Ba and Pb. The chemical ratios of [Cl/F]/Cl and [Na+K]/NO3 indicate the migration of sewage cum domestic effluents into the shallow groundwater. The contamination with trace elements (Al, As, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni and Cd) may be associated with the distribution of unplanned solid waste disposal processes in both rural and urban sites. The present case study provides the basic understanding for the need of urgent protection of the groundwater resource through waste management plans for the whole Ganga Alluvial Plain in northern India.