Study of quaternary aquifers in Ganga Plain, India: Focus on groundwater salinity, fluoride and fluorosis

Groundwater salinity in some parts is more then 4000 μΩ−1/cm. This region is severely affected by endemic fluorosis due to consumption of fluoride-contaminated water. Analysis of F−, Na+, K+, Cl− and HCO3− was carried out at 30 sites of dugwells and borewells. Result shows that there is a variation and continuous escalation in the groundwater salinity and fluoride concentration in deep and shallow aquifers on the basis of analysis. Classification of salinity levels was carried out in 2001 and 2004. The deep aquifers (borewells) are found more saline as compare to the shallow aquifers (dugwells) while F−, Na+, K+, Cl− and HCO3− shows high concentration in shallow aquifers. The fluoride concentration in the groundwater of these villages showed values from 0.1 to 2.5 mg/l, severe enough to cause dental and skeletal fluorosis among the inhabitants, especially children of these villages. One of the major effects of inland salinity in this region is from saline groundwater, which is reaching the land surface and causing soil salinisations and water logging in the NE and SE parts of Mat block.