Hydrogeochemical characterization and suitability appraisal of groundwater around stone quarries in Mahendragarh,India

The present study is the first attempt to assess the impact of stone quarrying on quality of groundwater and its suitability for drinking and irrigation in Mahendragarh region of Haryana State. The suitability for drinking and irrigation was determined by comparing the observed values with prescribed standards and indices. The groundwater was found suitable for drinking for most of the parameters except TDS, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, and nitrate. With respect to suitability in agriculture, the groundwater was classified as good with the only problem of magnesium hazard in few villages located north of mining region. Based on the ratios of different anions and cations, silicate weathering and reverse base exchange were found responsible for regulation of groundwater chemistry. Most of the shallow meteoric genesis groundwater samples were classified as Na–Cl type, and the deep meteoric genesis groundwater was classified as Na–HCO₃ type. Values of base exchange and piper trilinear, too, confirmed that the groundwater belonged to either Na–Cl or Ca–Mg–Cl type. Further, FTIR analysis of crushed mined material and soil around mining area confirmed the presence of calcite and kaolinite, respectively, which confirmed that silicate weathering is regulating groundwater chemistry. The study concluded that there is no significant direct effect of stone quarrying on groundwater in Mahendragarh district.