Integrated Hydrochemical and Microbiological Assessment of Shallow Groundwater Vulnerability to Sanitation-Related Contamination in Patna City, Bihar, India

Kalpana Shahi; Pawan kumar Pandey

Integrated Hydrochemical and Microbiological Assessment of Shallow Groundwater Vulnerability to Sanitation-Related Contamination in Patna City, Bihar, India

Author(s)	Prof. Kalpana Shahi, Pawan kumar Pandey
Country	India
Abstract	Groundwater in densely populated alluvial cities is increasingly vulnerable to chemical and microbiological contamination associated with urban activities and inadequate sanitation. This study evaluated the hydrochemical and microbiological quality of shallow groundwater in Patna City, Bihar, India, with particular emphasis on indicators of potential sanitation-related contamination. Ten groundwater samples were assessed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, nitrate, chloride, potassium, phosphate, iron, fluoride, arsenic and total hardness, together with total and faecal coliforms using the Most Probable Number (MPN) method. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were used to examine groundwater-quality variability and relationships between hydrochemical and microbiological indicators. The results showed predominantly near-neutral groundwater (pH 6.8–7.6), while elevated TDS, nitrate, iron, arsenic and hardness were observed at several locations. TDS exceeded 500 mg/L in 80% of samples, nitrate exceeded 45 mg/L in 40%, arsenic exceeded 0.01 mg/L in 80%, and iron exceeded 0.3 mg/L in all samples. Microbiological contamination was widespread, with total coliform concentrations ranging from 60 to 1200 MPN/100 mL and faecal coliforms from 18 to 360 MPN/100 mL. GW8 exhibited the highest concentrations of both chemical and microbiological indicators, followed by GW4 and GW6. Faecal coliforms showed strong positive associations with nitrate (r = 0.991), chloride (r = 0.991), phosphate (r = 0.986), turbidity (r = 0.945), EC (r = 0.982) and TDS (r = 0.981). The concurrent occurrence of elevated nitrate, chloride, phosphate and faecal indicators suggests potential sanitation-related influence on shallow groundwater quality, whereas arsenic and iron require consideration of their established geogenic controls in Bihar. The findings demonstrate the importance of integrating hydrochemical and microbiological indicators for assessing groundwater vulnerability and support improved sanitation management, routine groundwater monitoring and appropriate treatment before domestic consumption in vulnerable areas of Patna City.
Keywords	groundwater quality, Patna City, shallow alluvial aquifer, sanitation contamination, hydrochemistry, faecal coliform, MPN, nitrate, arsenic, Bihar
Published In	Volume 11, Issue 12, December 2020
Published On	2020-12-04

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Integrated Hydrochemical and Microbiological Assessment of Shallow Groundwater Vulnerability to Sanitation-Related Contamination in Patna City, Bihar, India

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