Study of Groundwater Quality and Its Sustainability Using GIS Techniques in Kokrajhar, Assam, North East India

Groundwater is a major source of water for consumption in India. The groundwater recharge may lead to contamination due to different reasons. The source of groundwater contamination may be simple to complex in nature. One of the major challenges today is in protecting the groundwater from pollution. A well-studied and documented data on groundwater quality can lead to proper usage, protection against health issues and for sustainable usage of ground water. In this study, authors have tried to investigate the groundwater quality by collecting water samples from different locations. The study area in this project was Kokrajhar, Assam. Kokrajhar is a growing district in terms of population and urbanization. It is important that a detailed study can be made on the groundwater quality and its distribution that would cater to the needs of the populace. Tube well and bore well were the water samples collecting points. The source points were mapped in GIS software for further study. Two sets of water samples were collected for post-monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons. The water samples were subjected to various laboratory tests to determine different test parameters. A total of 20 samples were collected and tested for eight different parameters. The difference in the water quality of post and pre-monsoon samples will lead to the further study of the groundwater and its possible source of contamination. Contour maps were generated for different test parameters using GIS techniques. The analysis of the different parameters and the groundwater quality index (GWQI) was done to study the quality of water in the region.