Hydrochemical Characteristic and Quality Assessment of Groundwater of Ranchi Township Area, Jharkhand, India

In the present study, detail investigation of groundwater for the suitability of drinking, domestic and irrigation purposes in Ranchi township area. For this purpose, 27 groundwater samples from wells and tube wells were collected and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS) , major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+) and major anions (HCO 3 - F-, Cl-, NO 3 -, SO 4 2-). pH of the analyzed samples indicates slightly alkaline nature of the water samples. Total dissolved solids of 94% of analyzed groundwater samples were falling in the category of fresh water and 6% in the category of brackish water. HCO 3 and Cl are dominant anions and Ca 2+ and Na + as the dominant cation in the water chemistry.In majority of the samples, the analyzed parameters are well within the desirable limits and water is potable for drinking purposes. However, concentrations of EC, TDS, TH, Ca 2+, and Mg 2+ exceed the desirable limit at few sites.Parameter like residual sodium carbonate (RSC), permeability index (PI), percent sodium (%Na), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) were calculated and plotted to understand the water quality and utilitarian aspect of groundwater for irrigation uses. The calculated parameters show that the majority of the groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation uses. However,high salinity values at few sites restrict the suitability of the water for irrigation uses.