Water Disaster induced Vulnerability using Groundwater Quality Assessment in Biharsharif, Nalanda, Bihar

The global climate change over the years gradually affected the water quality, leading to increased drought and flood risks and posing challenges for water management and resource availability. The water quality index (WQI) signifies the quality of water in terms of index number which communicates the information on overall water quality trends for the end users. In this study, nineteen groundwater samples were collected from hand pump, bore well and deep tube well of the Biharsharif township area during the pre- and post-monsoon seasons of the year 2023-24. In the present study, the quality of water was estimated by testing various physicochemical parameters namely, pH, TDS, TH, Calcium, Magnesium, Chloride, Nitrate, Sulphate and Fluoride and after that the quality index was analyzed in this study. The WQI value of 110.9 is maximum and the value 38.56 is minimum in the study area. The computed WQI shows that 89.5% of groundwater samples were found as ‘Very Good’ to ‘Good’ category. On the other hand, only 10.5% samples fall in the poor category showing that the water is not suitable for direct consumption and needs a degree of treatment before its utilization. However, high values of WQI in the post-monsoon season of study area have been found to be mainly due to potential hazards leaching into the soil and mixes with the groundwater.