Authors : Mustaq Shaikh; Farjana Birajdar

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 6 - June

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/3jpustze

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/yszmwbbj

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jun139

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Abstract : Groundwater is the principal source of potable supply in the drought-prone, semi-arid Mangalvedha Taluka of Solapur District, Maharashtra, where Deccan basaltic aquifers, intensive sugarcane–pulse cultivation and erratic monsoon rainfall combine to elevate drinking-water risk. This investigation develops an integrated Groundwater Quality Index (GWQI)–Geographic Information System (GIS) framework using 7,541 in-situ hydrochemical observations collected by the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA) from 86 villages of Mangalvedha Taluka across eight hydrological years (2016–17 to 2023–24). Thirteen physico-chemical parameters were considered (pH, EC, TDS, TH, Ca, Mg, Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, HCO₃⁻-equivalent alkalinity, NO₃⁻, F⁻, Fe, turbidity). A Weighted Arithmetic Water Quality Index was computed against Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) IS 10500:2012 desirable limits using subjective importance weights (Σwᵢ = 28). The sample-level GWQI ranged from 5.15 to 827.24 (mean 105.81 ± 63.18); 9.72 % of samples qualified as Excellent, 49.48 % Good, 32.79 % Poor, 6.21 % Very Poor and 1.80 % Unsuitable. Aggregated village-mean indices identified one Excellent, 44 Good, 33 Poor and 4 Very Poor villages. K-means clustering delineated three risk zones: Safe (47 villages), Moderate-Risk (29 villages), and High-Risk (6 villages) — Dhavalas, Gharniki, Mallewadi, Tamdardi, Mahamadabad (Shetfal) and Dharamgaon — exhibiting mean TDS > 2,500 mg L⁻¹, total hardness > 1,000 mg L⁻¹ and nitrate > 90 mg L⁻¹. IDW spatial interpolation delineated two persistent contamination corridors aligned with the central-northern and south-eastern alluvial–weathered-basalt belts of the taluka. Mann–Kendall temporal trend analysis on yearly means did not detect statistically significant monotonic change (p > 0.05) in major indicators, but pronounced inter-annual variability driven by rainfall recharge dynamics was evident. Public-health implications include elevated risks of infant methaemoglobinaemia and renal/cardiovascular stress in the High-Risk Zone. The study recommends village-scale managed aquifer recharge, point-of-use defluoridation and denitrification at six priority habitations, periodic IS 10500 surveillance and a smart GIS dashboard for GSDA Solapur to operationalise the decision-support framework presented here.

Keywords : Groundwater Quality Index; Drinking Water Suitability; GIS Mapping; Risk Zoning; Hydrochemistry; Mangalvedha Taluka; Water Quality Assessment; Groundwater Governance.

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