A GIS-based assessment of water quality pollution indices for heavy metal contamination in Tuticorin Corporation, Tamilnadu, India

The present study was conducted to evaluate the metal pollution of groundwater in the vicinity of Tuticorin Corporation in Tamilnadu State, India, used by various pollution indices such as heavy metal pollution index (HPI), heavy metal evaluation index (HEI), and degree of contamination (DOC). Thirty-six groundwater samples were collected during the summer season (May 2013) and the concentration of metals Al, Cr, Fe, Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cd, and Pb was analyzed. Consequences exhibited that groundwater was contaminated with Mn (59.12 ppb), Cu (162.41 ppb), Pb (196.15 ppb), Cr (187.12 ppb), and Cd (10.11 ppb). Correlation and factor analysis revealed that the sources of metals in groundwater in the study area are the same, and it may due to the leachates from the nearby sewage farm, industrial activity (State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited (SIPCOT)), Buckle canal, and solid wastes dumped in the residential area. Groundwater pollution indices of HPI, HEI, and DOC revealed that most of groundwater samples belonged to the medium to high zones, which was adjacent to the polluted Buckle canal, SIPCOT industrial waste, and sewage fish farm in the coastal area. The present study points out that the metal pollution causes the degradation of groundwater quality around Tuticorin coastal corporation. These study results will be very helpful for sustainable management of groundwater resources, and they will enable planners and policymakers to evolve a strategy to solve similar problems elsewhere.