Variation in Groundwater Quality with Seasonal Fluctuation in Jharia Coal Mine Region, Jharkhand, India

Abstract

Jharia coal mining areas is one of the most important coal mining areas in India. It is roughly elliptical or sickles – shaped, located in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand. For the assessment of groundwater quality, Twenty Nine groundwater samples were collected from Jharia coalfield. The pH of the analysed water samples is slightly acidic to slightly alkaline in nature in both the season. The quality assessment of groundwater shows that in general, the water is suitable for domestic purposes with some exceptions. In majority of the samples, the analyzed parameters are well within the desirable limits and water is potable for drinking purposes. However, concentrations of EC, TDS, TH, SO42-, Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+exceed the desirable limit at few sites. The water level fluctuation shows in the study area for year 2013 is 1.29 to 6.9 mbgl. West and some part of the northern area are facing extreme scarcity due to lower availability of groundwater resource. However, eastern region of the study area has sufficiently available of groundwater resources in the Jharia coalfield. This study is useful for utilization of groundwater resources in mining area and helps in future water resource planning for the area.