Geochemical variations of groundwater quality in coastal and karstic aquifers in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Chemical constituents of ground water evolve due to the interaction with aquifer minerals and mixing of different groundwater reservoirs along the flow path in the subsurface. Consequently, geochemical properties of ground water depends on chemistry of water in the recharge area as well as on the different geochemical processes that take place in the subsurface of the locality, including the presence of possible contamination sources. The increasing contamination of ground water by nitrate is primarily from the widespread use of commercial fertilizers which is an evolving public health concern factor in many agricultural regions of the world (Gulis et al., 2002; Raju et al., 2009).