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Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Sunamganj of Bangladesh

F. Raihan
Corresponding author
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh

J. B. Alam
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

In this study, groundwater quality in Sunamganj of Bangladesh was studied based on different indices for irrigation and drinking uses. Samples were investigated for sodium absorption ratio, soluble sodium percentage, residual sodium carbonate, electrical conductance, magnesium adsorption ratio, Kelly’s ratio, total hardness, permeability index, residual sodium bicarbonate to investigate the ionic toxicity. From the analytical result, it was revealed that the values of Sodium Adsorption Ratio indicate that groundwater of the area falls under the category of low sodium hazard. So, there was neither salinity nor toxicity problem of irrigation water, so that groundwater can safely be used for long-term irrigation. The average Total Hardness of the samples in the study area was in the range of between 215 mg/L at Tahirpur and 48250 mg/L at Bishamvarpur. At Bishamvarpur, the water was found very hard. The average total hardness of the samples was in the range of between 215 mg/L at Tahirpur and 48250 mg/L at Bishamvarpur. At Bishamvarpur, the water was found very hard. It was shown based on GIS analysis that the groundwater quality in Zone-1 could be categorized of an “excellent” class, supporting the high suitability for irrigation. In Zone-2 and Zone-3, the groundwater quality was categorized as “risky” and “poor” respectively. The study has also made clear that GIS-based methodology can be used effectively for groundwater quality mapping even in small catchments.

Keywords: Sodium absorption ratio, Residual sodium carbonate, Total hardness, Magnesium adsorption ratio, Kelly’s ratio

Location: Sunamganj district of Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Crop-Soil-Water Management

Commodity: Groundwater, Water quality

Objectives:

To investigate for sodium absorption ratio, soluble sodium percentage, residual sodium carbonate, electrical conductance, magnesium adsorption ratio, Kelly’s ratio, total hardness, permeability index, residual sodium bicarbonate and to investigate the ionic toxicity.

Methodology:

Sunamganj Sadar Upazila with an area of 560.76 sq km is bounded by Bishwamvarpur Upazila and Meghalaya (India) on the north, Jagannathpur and Derai Upazilas on the south, Dowarabazar and Chhatak Upazilas on the east, Jamalganj and Bishwamvarpur Upazilas on the west. River Surma and Dekar Haor are notable. Sunamganj (Town) stands on the bank of the river Surma. It was established in late 18th century. It consists of 9 wards and 44 mahallas. The area of the town is 22.16 sq km. It has a population of 49373; the density of population is 2228 per sq. km. Sunamganj area of Sylhet Basin is adjacent to the Dauki fault, where little pre-Pleistocene geology is exposed along with the southern edge of Shillong plateau in the northeast. Within Bangladesh, the greater Sylhet region is the most enriched in mineral resources. The reason is geologically known as Surma basin and covers the northeastern parts of the for-deep and folded belt division of the Bengal basin which happens to be one of the most prominent tectonically active sedimentary basins of the world. In this region, the folded belt represents the uplifted parts of this sedimentary pile. This huge sedimentary body is dominantly composed of sand and mud with subordinate limestone which started depositing in a deep basement (bottom of the basin being composed of the igneous metamorphic complex) basin about 50 million years ago with the gradual rise of Himalayas due to collision between Indian and Burmese plates and subsequent erosion. The area has also vast deposed of limestone, peat and glass sand and hard rock gravel (Huq, 1999). Soluble Sodium Percentage (SSP) was calculated by the following equation (Todd, 1980): SSP = {(Na+K) x 100} / (Ca + Mg + Na + K). Where, all the ions are expressed in meq/L. The Residual Sodium Bi-carbonate (RSBC) was calculated according to Gupta and Gupta (1987): RSBC = HCO₃ - Ca. Where, RSBC and the concentration of the constituents are expressed in meq/L. Total Hardness (TH) was calculated by the following equation (Raghunath, 1987): TH = (Ca + Mg) × 50. Where, TH is expressed in meq/L (ppm) and the concentrations of the constituents are expressed in me/L. Magnesium Adsorption Ratio (MAR) was calculated by the equation ((Raghunath, 1987) as: MAR = (Mg x100) / (Ca + Mg). Where all the ionic concentrations are expressed in meq/L. The Kelly’s Ratio was calculated using the equation (Kelly’s 1963 as: KR = Na / (Ca + Mg). Where, all the ionic concentrations are expressed in meq/L.

Source of Information: Iran. J. Environ. Health. Sci. Eng., 2008, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 155-166

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The result shows that the concentration of sodium (Na+ ) was in the range of 0.35 (at Chhatak) to 397.08 (at Tahirpur) mg/L. Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) also influences the infiltration rate of water. So, low SAR is always desirable. In the studied samples, SAR values were ranged between 0.10 and 425.18 meq/ L shown. In the study area, SAR value was highest at Dharmapala. It is evident from the whole sample set that the SAR value is excellent up to 75% of the total samples. Only 13.54 % of them lie in the poor category shown. Hence, our findings strongly suggest that most of the abstracted groundwater samples from the study area were suitable for irrigation. The Soluble Sodium Percentage (SSP) values were found from 0.125 at Derai to 98.17 at Dharmapasa meq/L and the average was 38.01 meq/L. In the study area, the conductivity value varies from 12 to 1318. More than 5.20% (EC=750 µs/cm) sample of the study area falls under high salinity zone such water should not be used on soils with restricted drainage (Jain et al., 2000).

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