Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Mining Areas of Goa, India

Abstract

Goa is a famous International tourist destination and attracts around 2 million tourists annually. Tourism is generally limited along the coastal belt of Goa, while mining is more focused in the midland of Goa. The groundwater in the State is mainly used for drinking and industrial purposes followed by agriculture to some extent. The open cast iron ore mining in Goa had induced significant changes in groundwater quality and quantity. The objective of the present study was to assess the impact of mining activities on the qualitative scenario of ground water in the study area. The monitoring of groundwater quality was done at fourty five groundwater sampling locations on a seasonal basis (i.e. post-monsoon, winter, summer, and monsoon) from October 2011 to September 2012. Assessment of Ground water quality status was done by using the Water Quality Index method, which is an effective tool to assess spatial and temporal changes in ground water quality. Based on the descriptive categories of WQI values observed, all (100%) the sampling locations in the study area were observed with very good category.