Keywords
aquifer sands
hydrological properties
Gangetic alluvium
Grain size parameters
How to Cite
Abstract
The city of Varanasi is short of water. The city obtains a total of 270 million litres water from the river Ganga and tubewells. Yet every fifth citizen lacks drinking water. The ground water is polluted due to nitrate and faecal coliform. A further problem is the plan to settle the growing population in a new township nearby under the integrated development plan of Greater Varanasi, a part of the Jawajarlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. To fulfill the growing demand of fresh water, new water bearing horizon of the most affected part of the city i.e. southern part is to be identified. This paper reports a study of the variation in the grain size attributes of an aquifer material taken from different depths from the affected region in order to establish the generalized hydrological properties and recommend the depth of the well accordingly. From the grain size analysis and hydrological study it may be concluded that water bearing zones are mainly found in three horizons at the depths 44-56 m; 56-87 m; and 87-165 m. The third water bearing horizon (total thickness being 78 m) can act as a good potential ground water horizon for a new township. Due to its greater depth, the water would be relatively fresh being characterized by very low concentration of dissolved solids. Therefore, this horizon is strongly recommended for utilizing the water resource for the township.
References
Ahmed S., Sayed M.H., Barun S., Khan M.H., Faruquee M.H. & Jalil A., 2001. Arsenic in drinking water and pregnancy outcome. Environ Health Perspect 109: 629-631.
Ahmed S., Sengupta M.K., Mukherjee A., Hossain M.A., Das B., Nayak B., Pal A., Mukherjee S.C., Pati S., Dutta R.N., Chetterjee G., Mukherjee A., Srivastava R. & Chakraborti D., 2006. Arsenic groundwater contamination and its health effects in the state of Uttar Pradesh in Upper and Middle Ganga Plain, India: A severe danger. Science of the Total Environment 370: 310-322.
Bhattacharya S., Chakravarty S., Maity S., Dureja V. & Gupta K.K., 2005. Metal contents in the groundwater of Sahebgunj district, Jharkhand, India, with special reference to arsenic. Chemosphere 58: 1203-1217.
Brinkman H.C., 1949. On the permeability of media consisting of closely packed porous particles. Journal Applied Sci. Res. 1: 81-86.
Chakraborti D., Mukherjee S.C., Pati S., Sengupta M.K., Rahman M.M. & Chaudhary U.K., 2003. Arsenic groundwater contamination in the Middle Ganga Plain. Bihar, India: A future danger. Environ Health Perspect. 111(9): 1194-1201.
Chakraborti D., Rahman M.M., Paul K., Chaudhary U.K., Sengupta M.K. & Lodh D., 2002. Arsenic calamity in the Indian sub-continent - what lessons have been learnt. Talanta 58: 3-22.
Chakraborti D., Sengupta M.K., Rahman M.M., Ahmed S., Chaudhary U.K. & Hossain M.A., 2004. Groundwater arsenic contamination and its health effects in the Ganga-Meghna-Brahmaputra Plain. J. Environ Monitoring 6: 75N-83N.
Chaudhary U.K., Rahman M.M., Mondal B.K., Paul K., Lodh D. & Basu G.K., 2001. Groundwater arsenic contamination and human suffering in the west Bengal-India and Bangladesh. Environment 8(5): 393-415.
Chowdhary V., Gunnar J. & Gustafsson J.E., 2002. An analysis of groundwater vulnerability and water policy reform in India. Environmental Management and Health 13(2): 175-193.
Doeglas D.J., 1946. Interpretation of the results of mechanical analyses. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 16(1): 19-40.
Folk R.L. & Ward W.C., 1957. Brazos river bar: a study in the significance of grainsize parameters. Jour. Sed. Petrol. 27: 3-26.
Hazen A., 1892. Experiments upon the purification of sewage and water at the Lawrence, experiment station, Nol.1, 1889 to Dec., 1891. Massachusetts State Board of Health. 23rd Annual Report: 428-434.
Johnson A.I., 1963. Application of laboratory permeability data. Open File Report. US Geological Survey of Water Resources Division, Denver, Colorado: 34.
Karanth K.R., 1996. Use of sieve analysis data for estimation of aquifer constants. BHU - JAL News, Journal of the Central Ground Water Board, India.
Krishnan M.S., 1960. The Geology of India and Burma. The Associated Printers (Madras) Private Ltd., Mount Road, Madras: 555.
Meinzer O.B., 1923. Outline of ground water hydrology with definition. US Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 71: 434.
Mukherjee S.C., Saha K.C., Pati S., Dutta R.N., Rahman M.M. & Sengupta M.K., 2005. Murshidabad-one of the nine groundwater arsenic effected districts of West Bengal, India. Part II. Dermatological, Neurological and Obstetric findings. Clin. Toxicol. 43: 835-848.
Mukherjee S.C., Rahman M.M., Chaudhary U.K., Sengupta M.K., Lodh D. & Chanda C.R., 2003. Neuropathy in arsenic toxicity from groundwater arsenic contamination in West Bengal-India. Journal of Environmental Science Health A38(1): 165-183.
Pathak B.D., 1977. Geology and Ground water conditions of Varanasi district, U.P. Ball. Geological Survey of India, Series (B), 41.
Raha P., Singh S.K. & Banerjee H., 2003. Organochlorine pesticide residue in groundwater in world oldest existing civilized city, Varanasi. Indian Journal of Agricultural Environment & Biotechnology (1): 94-107.
Rahman M.M., Chaudhary U.K., Mukherjee S., Mondal B.K., Paul K. & Lodh D., 2001. Chronic arsenic toxicity in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India - a review and commentary. Journal of Clin. Toxicol. 39(7): 683-700.
Rahman M.M., Sengupta M.K., Ahmed S., Chowdhury U.K., Hossain M.A. & Das B., 2005. The magnitude of arsenic contamination in groundwater and its health effects to the inhabitants, of the Jalangi, one of the 85 arsenic affected blocks in West Bengal, India. Sci. Total Environ. 338(3): 189-200.
Rahman M.M., Sengupta M.K., Ahmed S., Chowdhury U.K., Lodh D. & Hossain M.A., 2005. A detailed study of the arsenic contamination of groundwater and its impact on residents in Rajapur village of the Domkal block, district Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. B. World Health Organ, 83(1): 49-57.
Rahman M.M., Sengupta M.K., Mukherjee S.C., Pati S., Ahmed S. & Lodh D., 2005. Murshidabad-one of the nine groundwater arsenic affected districts of West Bengal, India. Magnitude of contamination and population at risk. Clin. Toxicol. 43: 823-834.
Rahman M.M., Mandal B.K., Roychowdhury T.R., Sengupta M.K., Chowdhury U.K. & Lodh D., 2003 Arsenic groundwater contamination and sufferings of people in North 24-Parganas, one of the nine arsenic affected districts of West Bengal, India: the seven years study repots. Environs Sci. Health A38(1): 27-59.
Report of the ‘Hindustan’ a newspaper, lowering of water level of the tube wells in the city of Varanasi. April 16, 2006, 1.
Report of the ‘Hindustan’ Newspaper, a Hindi dailies, Ground water at an alarming stage. Feb. 27, 2006, 3.
Roychowdhury T., Basu G.K., Mandal B.K., Biswas B.K., Chowdhury U.K. & Chand C.K., 1999. Arsenic poisoning in the Ganges Delta. Nature 401: 545-546.
Sindowski K.H., 1957. Die synoptische method des korkurven: vergleiches zur ausdeutung fossiler sedimentations raume. J. Geologisches Jahrbuch 73: 135-275.
Singh S.K., Raha P. & Banerjee H., 2006. Banned organ chlorine cyclodeine pesticide in groundwater in Varanasi, India. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 76: 935-941.
Stakman W.P., 1969. The relation between particle size, pore size and hydraulic conductivity of sand separates. Proc. Wageningen Symposium on water in the Unsaturated Zone. IASH-AISH-UNESCO: 373-384.
Wenzel L.K., 1942. Methods of determining permeability of water bearing materials. US Geol. Surv. Water Supply Paper 887.
License
This content is open access.