Trace Elements Spatial Distribution in the Groundwater near the Subarnarekha River Basin - Jamshedpur, India

Jaydev Kumar Mahato ^1,*, Shivam Saw ¹, Brahmdeo Yadav ², Ajay Kumar ³

1. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad-826004, Jharkhand, India

2. Department of Civil Engineering, Birsa Institute of Technology Sindri, Dhanbad 828123, India

3. Department of Civil Engineering, Government Polytechnic, Dhanbad 828104, India

* Correspondence: Jaydev Kumar Mahato

Academic Editor: Jose Navarro-Pedreno

Special Issue: Groundwater Hydrology, Contamination, and Sustainable Development

Received: August 07, 2024 | Accepted: November 22, 2024 | Published: December 06, 2024

Adv Environ Eng Res 2024, Volume 5, Issue 4, doi:10.21926/aeer.2404027

Recommended citation: Mahato JK, Saw S, Yadav B, Kumar A. Trace Elements Spatial Distribution in the Groundwater near the Subarnarekha River Basin - Jamshedpur, India. Adv Environ Eng Res 2024; 5(4): 027; doi:10.21926/aeer.2404027.

© 2024 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the conditions of the Creative Commons by Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is correctly cited.

1. Introduction

Worldwide, groundwater is considered to be one of the safest sources of drinking water, which possesses life preservatives and essential elements [1]. Notwithstanding being more protected than surface water, the groundwater was highly susceptible to contamination with various pollutants [2,3]. It is unevenly distributed below the earth's surface, mainly depending upon factors like geographical location, permeability of rocks, rainfall, infiltration rate, etc. [3,4]. In developing nations like India, urbanization, rapid industrial growth, economic expansion, etc., greatly influence the quality of the environment and water. Almost 85% of the domestic water needs of this country (India) are filled with groundwater resources, where many states (Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Punjab) are at risk of acute groundwater depletion [5,6]. Industrial activities like the production of heavy automotive and petrochemicals release pollutants like microplastics, toxic metals, organic pollutants (pesticides), and other emerging pollutants, affecting the quality of groundwater reservoirs [7]. Contaminants from various sources, including industrial discharges, agricultural runoff, and urban development, can introduce heavy metals such as Arsenic (As), Barium (Ba), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), Nickel (Ni), Selenium (Se), and Strontium (Sr). The infiltration of these metals into the soil and groundwater can occur through several pathways, including the percolation of contaminated surface water, leachate from landfills, and the weathering of metal-rich geological formations [8,9]. The accumulation of heavy metals in groundwater affects water quality. It has long-term implications for public health, as exposure can lead to various diseases, including neurological disorders and organ damage [2,10]. Moreover, heavy metal contamination can harm the environment, impacting soil quality, aquatic ecosystems, and biodiversity.

Jamshedpur is India's first planned industrial city, where half (48.11%) of water needs rely on groundwater resources. This city's other primary water sources include rainwater, the Subarnarekha-Kharkai River, the Sitarampur Dam, and Dimna Lake [11]. The uncontrolled seepage from the sewage network, intensive mining activities, and cultivated and industrial land uses have been identified as other potential sources of contamination in the groundwater resource of this area. The rate at which the groundwater resource is contaminated nowadays by several natural and anthropogenic activities is an alarming concern. Its quality is also increasingly compromised by trace elements, which can have severe health and environmental consequences [12,13,14]. While significant research has focused on trace element contamination in surface water, there is a lack of data on the presence of these elements in groundwater, especially in rural areas. Moreover, existing regulations often fail to account for the cumulative effects of trace element exposure over time."

Hence, these trace elements' spatial distributions were assessed to reduce the health risk in groundwater near the Subarnarekha River Basin Jamshedpur. No such data has been published on the spatial distribution of trace elements near the Subarnarekha River Basin of Jamshedpur, India. To this end, the present study explored the status and season-wise fluctuations of the groundwater table in the study area. The work also investigated the spatial distribution of trace elements. This study filled the critical knowledge gap by providing comprehensive data on trace element concentrations in groundwater across these regions.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1 Water Sampling and Study Area

To achieve the objective of the present study, groundwater samples were collected from 30 various locations in Jamshedpur city along the Subarnarekha River Basin (Figure 1). After collection, samples were stored in pre-conditioned acid-washed high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles at 4°C, till they reached the laboratory for further quality testing [15]. To analyze trace elements, samples were filtered with Millipore filter paper (pore size-0.45 µm) and preserved by adjusting the pH < 2 with 6N ultrapure Nitric acid.

Figure 1 Sampling location of study area.

2.2 Analytical Method

The quality of the collected water sampled was analyzed using the standard methods of the American Public Health Association [16] in the laboratory of the Department of Environmental Science & Engineering IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. The instrument Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) (Model No- ELAN DRCe, Perkin Elmer, United States) monitored Concentrations of trace elements. The wells' water level depth was monitored using a sensor-based water level recorder (Model-K-11107).

2.3 Spatial Distribution Map

To analyze the spatial distribution of heavy metal concentrations in the Subarnarekha River Basin, ArcGIS (version 10.3) was employed. Sampling coordinates were recorded using GPS and maps generated for As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se, and Sr using the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation method. IDW was selected because it was effective at estimating unsampled values based on proximity and was refined to capture localized spatial trends precisely.

3. Result and Discussion

3.1 Ground Water Table Seasonal Fluctuations

Jamshedpur is well known as its industrial hub, and its population is highly dense, resulting in the overexploitation of groundwater resources. Previous findings revealed that this area's groundwater table has drastically decreased in the last 11 decades [11]. The statistics in Figure 2 signified the occurrence of groundwater as of now, at below 400 feet. No water was found in some places even after digging up to this depth. The season-wise fluctuations in the groundwater table of all selected 30 sampling locations were illustrated in Table 1. The difference in the groundwater table in these two seasons is mainly due to rainwater recharge. Moreover, various factors such as geological formation, impermeability of rocks, and rate of infiltration also greatly influence the groundwater table of this area [3].

Table 1 Season-wise fluctuations in the water table.

Figure 2 Availability of groundwater [11].

3.2 Trace Elements Spatial Distribution

Significant differences exist in the concentration variance of trace elements in urban groundwater shown in Table 2 [17]. The spatial distribution of heavy metals in the urban groundwater of the Jamshedpur area is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4. The range value of Arsenic (As) (0.01 to 9.26 µg/L) complies with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) (50 µg/L) specification of Drinking water quality [18]. However, the elevated value within this range was observed in the south-west direction of this region, marked with dark blue color patches (Figure 3a). This may be because the discharge of industrial effluent in the open land of this area causes infiltration of pollutants into the groundwater [2].

Table 2 Concentration of heavy metals in µg/L.

Figure 3 Spatial distribution of (a) As (b) Ba (c) Cd (d) Cr (e) Co and (f) Cu.

Figure 4 Spatial distribution of (a) Fe (b) Mn (c) Mo (d) Ni (e) Se and (f) Sr.

Barium concentration (Ba) (0.3 to 519.4 µg/L) good complied with the prescribed BIS (700 µg/L) standard. The coal waste dumping and leaching during landfills may support the northwest and central zones of this region to have a higher concentration of Ba as compared to other locations (Figure 3b). Similarly, the Cadmium (Cd) (0.00 to 4.82 µg/L) and Chromium (Cr) (0.29 to 715.32 µg/L) range values were observed to be slightly higher in the south direction (Figure 3c-d). However, they comply with the BIS guidelines, i.e., 10 and 50 µg/L. The Cobalt (Co) (0.11 to 255.47 µg/L) and Copper (Cu) (0.12 to 64.62 µg/L) distribution in groundwater of this area may vary significantly due to the discharge of industrial effluents, chemicals, untreated sewage, mine, and wastewater [18]. The south and west parts of the study area were also dominated by Co and Cu (Figure 3e-f), which also exceeded the regulatory standards of BIS (Co-10 µg/L, Cu-50 µg/L). The crust of the earth contains Manganese (Mn) and Iron (Fe), naturally resulting in severe aesthetic problems in groundwater [13]. In groundwater Fe concentration varied from 3.42 to 1142.76 µg/L, surpassing BIS's guideline value (300 µg/L). The red color patches in southwestern and some northern parts of the study area indicate a higher concentration of Fe in this area (Figure 4a). Simultaneously, the green color signifies the safe zone and potable nature of water with context to Fe. Mn plays a vital role in the human body as an essential nutrient. The intake of Mn in the human body is lower from drinking water than from food [2]. Mn also acts as a component of numerous enzymes and contributes to several significant physiological processes. Mn value in the study area’s groundwater varied from 2.0 to 1454 µg/L, exceeding the permissible limit of BIS (300 µg/L). The northern part possesses a high level of Mn; however, the rest of the area is under the safe zone for drinking (Figure 4b). The primary source of Mn in this area is from industrial activities and the mining sector.

Strontium (Sr) is an important radionuclide that can permeate the groundwater system via accidental releases of radioactively contaminated water [19,20]. Sr is a good substitute for Calcium in the human body and is well known as a pure beta emitter, but it may also damage the bone structure [13]. The range of Sr in the collected groundwater (30 to 554 µg/L) exceeds the permissible limit of BIS (100 µg/L). This element was noticed in the northwest region of the study area (Figure 4f). However, in concert with Sr toxicity, the rest region of the study area comes under the green zone for drinking purposes. The Sr concentration range variation Sr in this area is due to industrial and radioactive activity [13,21].

In natural water, Mo-VI and Mo-IV are the most stable oxidation states of Molybdenum (Mo) [14]. For adults, with a daily dose of 75-250 µg/L, Mo is considered an essential trace element [14]. The monitored Mo concentration in the study area varied from 0.6 to 197.72 µg/L, which is relatively safe for drinking (Figure 4c). However, the borderline of the south direction possesses a higher concentration of Mo than other locations due to emissions and dust from adjoining steel industries.

Selenium (Se) is an essential nutrient for mankind only in a limited range of daily intake but it will turn into a toxin at elevated concentrations [19]. It possesses anti-carcinogenic properties and prevents heavy metals' effects, especially arsenic toxicity [20]. The Se content in the groundwater ranged from 0.05 to 12.07 µg/L, which complies with the BIS (10 µg/L) guideline. The spatial distribution of Se depicted that the south direction has a higher concentration than other locations (Figure 4e). The weathering and leaching of rocks and dissolution or oxidation of soluble salts in soils of this area may be the reason for Se in the groundwater.

Nickel (Ni) is the fifth most common element on the Earth's surface and is essential for living organisms and plants [7]. It occurs in natural water as a divalent cation in the pH range of 5-9 [22]. Ni concentration (1.2 to 20.4 µg/L) area aligns with BIS standards (20 µg/L) in this region. However, the central zone showed the Ni elevated range within the guideline line of BIS (Figure 4d). In the groundwater nickel's primary source is the leaching of metals [22].

However, future research should consider longitudinal studies to monitor how trace element levels in groundwater change over time, accounting for natural processes and human activities. Additional research is needed to quantify the potential health risks associated with long-term exposure to elevated trace element concentrations, incorporating toxicity thresholds and local consumption patterns.

4. Conclusion

The present research assessed the spatial distribution of trace elements in groundwater near the Subarnarekha River Basin - Jamshedpur. The concentration level of Mn, Sr Co, and Cu was higher than the BIS desirable limit, revealing the leachates of contaminants from various sources. The spatial distribution data showed a high level of Fe dominates the southwestern part of the study area, while the northern part is mostly affected by Ni and Cu. The level of the groundwater table was observed to fluctuate between 0.44 to 4.90 mbgl where the water table was found higher in pre-monsoon season (10.55 to 23.45 mgbl) than post-monsoon (9.32 to 22.77 mbgl). Future work should investigate how climate change-induced shifts in rainfall patterns, groundwater recharge rates, and water table levels may influence trace element distribution in groundwater systems.

Author Contributions

Jaydev Kumar Mahato (first): Literature review, fieldwork, experimental work, and original manuscript writing; Shivam Saw: conceptualization and supervision; Brahmdeo Yadav: Review of the manuscript, validation, and justification; Ajay Kumar: Draft manuscript preparation.

Competing Interests

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Data Availability Statement

Data collected and analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.