GIS aided assessment of physico-chemical properties of the ground water from the villages of Puttaparthi mandal, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh (India)

The geogenic leaching of the minerals in aquifers and excessive use of fertilizers coupled with improper sewage disposal has resulted in severe degradation of the ground water quality. The present study is focused on assessing the pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), fluoride and nitrate ion content in the groundwater of the Puttaparthi mandal, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh.The water samples were collected from the bore-well and the results of the physico-chemical analysis were compared with the drinking water standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The range of physiochemical parameters observed were pH (7.47 to 8.54), TDS (317 to 1030 mg/l), fluoride ion (1.28 to 4.48 mg/l) and nitrate ion (0.27 to 212.1 mg/l) during this study. The latitude-longitude of the sampling points was taken for geospatial mapping using the Geographical information system (GIS). The results revealed that most of water samples exceeded the permissible limits set for fluoride and nitrate ion by the WHO & BIS. Hence the ground water in the study area was deemed not fit for drinking purpose without a pre-treatment.