Hydrogeochemical Classification and a Comprehensive Analysis for Water Quality Modelling Towards Drinking Water Assessment in Taladanda Canal, Cuttack City, Odisha

Surface water (SW) contamination is a significant challenge in Taladanda Canal, located near Jobra, Cuttack, Odisha, which demands a thorough assessment of water quality. For the analysis, 12 surface water samples, collected from five sampling locations between 2020 and 2025 are used, focusing mainly on pre-monsoon season. This research aims to develop a new WQI model by integrating objective weighting methods, such as entropy (E) and CRITIC (C), with weighted arithmetic (WA) WQI. The goal is to evaluate its predictive performance to facilitate effective local water resource management, aligning with the objectives of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). Relying on physicochemical outputs, elevated BOD, F−, and Cl− were detected, indicating a significant risk of microbial and anthropogenic contamination. According to WAWQI observation, nearly 45% of the collected water samples were categorized under very poor–unsuitable drinking water quality. The entropy theory revealed that BOD, F−, Cl−, and Fe2+, were the most influencing parameters. Again, the result of EWQI classification offers more realistic assessment, depicting a value of 77–210, signifying good to extremely poor water quality. The CWQI (30–254) revealed 33.33% as unsuitable water quality. In contrast, irrigation water quality was generally suitable, with classifications of C1-S2, C2-S3 and C2-S4 on the Wilcox diagram, reflecting low to moderate salinity and sodium hazards. Distinct variations were observed due to magnesium-rich rocks and minimal human disturbance. As a result, these findings underscore the urgent need for continuous monitoring and adaptive water management to safeguard drinking water quality and irrigation suitability.