Hydrogeochemical processes controlling the groundwater salinity in the coastal aquifers of Southern Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

The current study identifies groundwater quality issues and investigates the most important geochemical processes that control seawater intrusion using various ionic ratios, hydrochemical facies evolution, and geochemical modelling. Cl_-/Br ratio is an important indicator to identify the origin of groundwater salinity in coastal aquifers. Nineteen percent of the groundwater samples with Cl^-/Br^- ratio similar to that of Standard Mean Ocean Water (SMOW) are affected by seawater intrusion in the study area. Particularly, nine groundwater samples have high chloride values and are similar to SMOW, and it may derived salinity from seawater sources from the Bay of Bengal due to the over-pumping of production wells in the Uvari zone. Five samples are similar to SMOW, which is due to the presence of salt pan activities. The bivariate plots such as Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺ vs Cl^-, EC vs Cl^-, and Na⁺/Cl^- ratio indicate that seawater intrusion is the primary source for groundwater salinisation. Evaporation is the dominant process controlling groundwater chemistry, rather than rock-water interaction and precipitation, according to mechanisms controlling groundwater chemistry. Direct ion exchange and converse ion exchange are the critical controlling factors for groundwater salinisation, according to the hydrochemical facies evolution diagram (HFED). The water quality index (WQI) shows that most groundwater belongs to the poor to the marginal category. The saturation indices show that the groundwater samples are saturated with minerals such as dolomite, calcite, aragonite and magnesite. Therefore, these minerals are susceptible to precipitation due to the effective leaching of calcareous minerals from the bedrocks. Compiled hydrogeochemical analysis and multivariate statistical analysis revealed that the Tiruchendur and Uvari zone was affected by the seawater intrusion and led to an increase in the salinity of the groundwater.

Keywords: Geochemical process; HFE diagram; Ionic ratio; Multivariate statistical analysis; Saturation indices; Seawater intrusion.