Appraisal of age-dependent geogenic radiation exposure and carcinogenic risks in the groundwater of Sevathur mine region, Pambar River basin, South India.

This study investigates groundwater uranium contamination and radiological risks in a part of Pambar River basin, South India, a region with significant geogenic radiation influenced by carbonatite rock formations. Uranium concentrations ranged from 5.8 to 240.

Health hazards from perchlorate enriched groundwater of a semi-arid river basin of south India and suggesting in-situ remediation through Managed Aquifer Recharge.

The present study was conducted to assess the groundwater quality and perchlorate contents in the pre- and post-monsoon groundwater samples along with its associated health concerns with suggesting in-situ remediation in semi-arid Arjunanadi River basin of south India. Most of the samples (86 in pre-monsoon and 84 in post-monsoon out of total 94) showed secondary salinity and secondary alkalinity, and the perchlorate showed positive relations with Na, K, SO, Cl, and NO contents. The main source of perchlorate could be fireworks manufacturing industries with 23 % of pre-monsoon (246.

Assessment of groundwater fluoride and human health effects in a hard rock province of south India: Implications from Pollution Index Model (PIM) and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques.

This research examines whether the groundwater in the Sivakasi Region of South India is suitable for consumption, and assesses the possible health hazards for various age demographics including infants, children, teenagers, and adults. A total of 77 groundwater samples were gathered, covering a total area of 580 km and analyzed for major and minor ions. The hydrogen ion concentration (pH) of the samples indicates neutral to marginally alkaline.

COVID-19 lockdown impacts on heavy metals and microbes in shallow groundwater and expected health risks in an industrial city of South India.

In this investigation, the positive impact of COVID-19 lockdown on heavy metals concentration and biological parameters in the shallow groundwater samples of Coimbatore city of South India was ascertained. The groundwater samples (n=15) were obtained from shallow open wells during before lockdown (24-25 February 2020) and after lockdown (2-3 June 2020) periods. These samples were analysed for heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr and Pb) and biological parameters ().

Integrated hydrogeophysical and GIS based demarcation of groundwater potential and vulnerability zones in a hard rock and sedimentary terrain of Southern India.

This research has identified the groundwater potential and vulnerability zones in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu, India. The Schlumberger electrode array has been used to conduct vertical electrical sounding (VES) at 95 sites with a maximum electrode spacing of 150 m. The study area comprises of hard rock and sedimentary formations.

Detection of iron-bearing mineral assemblages in Nainarmalai granulite region, south India, based on satellite image processing and geochemical anomalies.

Although India's large iron ore reserves are well known, there are still few studies and research on iron ore prospecting in smaller deposits or the deposits with lower grade. Remote sensing concepts are useful to target for mineral exploration, since it covers a large area at low cost. In this research spectral remote sensing and digital image processing of ASTER data to locate and delineate the regions with iron oxide-bearing soils in granulite terrain at Nainnarmalai (southern India) that has hypothetical reserve 8.

Environmental chemistry, toxicity and health risk assessment of groundwater: Environmental persistence and management strategies.

Groundwater is a significant supply of freshwater for the world's population, being used for residence, agricultural, and industrial purposes. One-third of the world's population relies on groundwater for drinking applications. Groundwater pollution is a global issue with serious consequences for human health and the environment.

Hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater quality and suitability for irrigation in the coastal part of Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India.

A study was undertaken to identify in the irrigational suitability of groundwater in the cuddalore district (coastal part), Tamil Nadu, India. An entire study, 132 shallow and deep groundwater samples was gathered during Pre monsoon period (PRM) year of 2017 and post monsoon (POM) period samples collected year of 2018. Rock water interaction, silicate weathering and domestic waste are dominant sources for the water quality in the study area.

Provincial and seasonal influences on heavy metals in the Noyyal River of South India and their human health hazards.

This study was carried out to evaluate the heavy metals (Lead (Pb), Nickel (Ni), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Cadmium (Cd) and Zinc (Zn)) pollution in the Noyyal River of South India by collecting 130 river water samples (65 each in pre- and post-monsoon). The heavy metals were measured using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The data were used to calculate the associated health hazards for the inhabitants consume river water.

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on microbial and metals contaminations in a part of Thirumanimuthar River, South India: A comparative health hazard perspective.

Twenty-two water samples from the Thirumanimuthar River course in southern India were collected before COVID-19 lockdown and during COVID-19 lockdown periods and were analyzed for microbiological parameters (fecal coliform bacteria, total coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, and fecal streptococci) and heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb and Cr). The lockdown has decreased microbial populations and heavy metals. Fe, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb and Cr exceeded the drinking water limits, respectively, in 77%, 45%, 27%, 18%, 9% and 91% of the pre-lockdown samples.

Investigation of health risks related with multipath entry of groundwater nitrate using Sobol sensitivity indicators in an urban-industrial sector of south India.

In the present study, we used a variance decomposition based global sensitivity index to evaluate the sensitivity of input variables and their contribution for non-carcinogenic health risks via intake and dermal pathways. Groundwater samples were collected from an industrial sector (Tiruppur region) of south India during the month of January 2020. These samples were analysed for nitrate, which varied from 10 to 290 mg L having the mean of 87 mg L.

Integrated use of inverse and biotic ligand modelling for lake water quality resilience estimation: A case of Ramsar wetland, (Deepor Beel), Assam, India.

The present study evaluates the vulnerability of the lake system (Deepor Beel) due to the combined exposure of toxic metals, major ions and mineral dissociation. The hydro-chemistry of the Deepor Beel lake reveals the dominance of carbonate weathering with strong evidences of ion-exchange reaction occurring throughout the monsoon season of 2014 and 2015. Through an integrated application of multivariate analysis, the occurrence of albite weathering was confirmed, although as an isolated incidence only, along-with substantial evidence of waste water intrusion from fertilizer industries.

Chromium contamination in groundwater and Sobol sensitivity model based human health risk evaluation from leather tanning industrial region of South India.

The present investigation was conducted to find the possible chromium contamination in groundwater and the related health risks in a leather industrial region of south India using Sobol sensitivity modeling. Thirty-five groundwater samples were sampled from the field sites and were analyzed for pH, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), EC (Electrical Conductivity), F (Fluoride), NO (Nitrate) and Cr (Chromium). The concentration of nitrate varied from 3 to 81 mg/L with a mean of 48.

Groundwater Pollution and Human Health Risks in an Industrialized Region of Southern India: Impacts of the COVID-19 Lockdown and the Monsoon Seasonal Cycles.

Samples of groundwater were collected during a post-monsoon period (January) and a pre-monsoon period (May) in 2020 from 30 locations in the rapidly developing industrial and residential area of the Coimbatore region in southern India. These sampling periods coincided with times before and during the lockdown in industrial activity and reduced agricultural activity that occurred in the region due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the effects of reduced anthropogenic activity on groundwater quality.

Sources and Consequences of Groundwater Contamination.

Groundwater contamination is a global problem that has a significant impact on human health and ecological services. Studies reported in this special issue focus on contaminants in groundwater of geogenic and anthropogenic origin distributed over a wide geographic range, with contributions from researchers studying groundwater contamination in India, China, Pakistan, Turkey, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Thus, this special issue reports on the latest research conducted in the eastern hemisphere on the sources and scale of groundwater contamination and the consequences for human health and the environment, as well as technologies for removing selected contaminants from groundwater.

Human health risks associated with multipath exposure of groundwater nitrate and environmental friendly actions for quality improvement and sustainable management: A case study from Texvalley (Tiruppur region) of India.

The present research was attempted to examine the human health risks due to nitrate contamination in the groundwater of Texvalley (Tiruppur region) of southern India. Groundwater samples (n = 40) were picked up from open wells (shallow aquifer) and tube wells (deep aquifer) during January 2020, and laboratory examination was conducted for various major physicochemical constituents. Nitrate concentration varied from 10 to 290 mg/l with a mean of 83.

Impact of precipitation disparity on groundwater fluctuation in a semi-arid region (Vellore district) of southern India using geospatial techniques.

In the present study, impact of precipitation disparity on groundwater level fluctuation was carried out in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, India, using geospatial techniques. There are five rain gauge stations in the study area in which three rain gauge stations, namely Alangayam, Jolarpettai and Pernampet, receive more precipitation when compared with the average annual precipitation of Tamil Nadu state (920 mm). The other two stations, namely Madanur and Natrampalli, receive less than 920 mm of precipitation annually.

Groundwater quality evolution based on geochemical modeling and aptness testing for ingestion using entropy water quality and total hazard indexes in an urban-industrial area (Tiruppur) of Southern India.

This study used geochemical modeling to understand the chemical evolution of groundwater, entropy water quality index to assess the aptness of groundwater for human consumption, and total hazard index to determine the possible non-carcinogenic risks among children, women, and men in an urban-industrial area (Tiruppur region) of southern India. For the above purposes, 40 groundwater samples were collected from tube and dug wells, and they were tested for various physicochemical parameters. Fluoride and nitrate levels ranged from 0.

Health threats for the inhabitants of a textile hub (Tiruppur region) in southern India due to multipath entry of fluoride ions from groundwater.

The main objective of the study is to assess the groundwater quality based on water quality index and health threats associated with fluoride contamination in the Tiruppur region of southern India. Totally 40 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for various physicochemical parameters such as pH, EC, TDS, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, HCO, SO, NO and F. The dominance of major cations and anions conforms to the following order Ca> Na> K> Mg and Cl > HCO > SO> NO > F, respectively.

Appraisal of subsurface hydrogeochemical processes in a geologically heterogeneous semi-arid region of south India based on mass transfer and fuzzy comprehensive modeling.

The main aim of the present study was to examine the quality of the groundwater and decipher the sources of groundwater fluoride through mass balance modeling based on fluoride exposure in a geologically heterogeneous semi-arid region of southern India. This was achieved by hydrogeochemical analysis, graphical methods, and mass transfer modeling approaches. Fuzzy comprehensive technique was applied to evaluate the quality of groundwater for groundwater management.

Evaluation of chromium in vegetables and groundwater aptness for crops from an industrial (leather tanning) sector of South India.

The main objective of the present study is evaluation of groundwater aptness for crops and chromium concentration in vegetables from an industrial (leather tanning) sector of South India using geospatial techniques. Seventy groundwater samples were collected from the open and tube wells during November 2017, February 2018, May 2018 and September 2018 to represent northeast (NE) monsoon (October-December), post-monsoon (winter) (January-February), pre-monsoon (summer) (March-May) and southwest (SW) monsoon (June-September) seasons, respectively. In addition, vegetables were also collected during the above-mentioned seasons from the market to assess the level of chromium content in them.