Evaluation of hydrogeochemical profile, potential health risk and groundwater quality in rapidly growing urban region of Hyderabad, South India

The objective of the study is to assess the occurrence of the most frequently found contaminants such as fluoride, nitrate and trace metals in groundwater to decipher their potential health risk to the inhabitants of Shamirpet urban region, Hyderabad. Fifteen groundwater samples were collected according to the grid patter (3 × 3 km2) from Shamirpet urban regions to cover the entire study area, and analyzed the same to locate the target contaminants. The data showed that Na–Cl–SO4 and mixed Ca–Na–HCO3 type are the dominant hydrochemical facies found based on the anion and cation data of groundwater. According to the water quality index (WQI) values obtained, it demonstrated that most of the water samples (53%) were unsuitable for human consumption. Among the contaminants evaluated, fluoride content was higher in 13% of the samples, whereas 47% of the samples found to have more concentration of nitrate than permissible limits of WHO guidelines indicating that it is unfit for the purpose of drinking. Gibbs diagram explains the quality of the groundwater and its chemistry, which is influenced by the dissolution of rock and complex geochemical mechanisms. Potential health risk assessment of groundwater reveals that the adults in this region who consume this water are at high risk. This situation has further been substantiated by the hazard index values of groundwater for fluoride and nitrate. Therefore, local administration and policy makers should pay attention to supply protected groundwater to ensure and safeguard the human health.