Abstract

Groundwater is a significant water resource in India for domestic, irrigation, and industrial needs. The use
of groundwater has increased significantly in the last decades due to its widespread occurrence and overall
good quality. The contribution from groundwater is vital; because about two billion people depend directly upon
aquifers for drinking water, and 40% of the world’s food is produced by irrigated agriculture that relies largely
on groundwater. Despite its importance, contamination from natural, human activities, steady increase in demand
for water due to rising population and per capita use, increasing need for irrigation, changes in climates and
overexploitation has affected the use of groundwater as source of drinking water. The main objective of this study
is to assess the groundwater quality in parts of Kadapa and Anantapur districts. The study area is located in the
Survey of India toposheets Number 57 J/3 lying between East 78°00’0” and 78°15’0” longitudes and 14°15’0” to
14°30’0” North latitudes covering an area of 720 km2. Geologically, it is underlain mainly by Peninsular gneisses
of Archean age, followed by Gulcheru and Vemapalli formations comprising quartzites, conglomerates, dolomites
and shales. Major geomorphic units are denudational hills, residual hills, pediments, pediplains, structural hills
and valleys. 20 drinking water samples collected from parts of Kadapa, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India
were analyzed for fluoride contamination, besides water quality parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity
(EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), calcium, chloride. The groundwater of the study area is
mainly alkaline in nature. The EC of the samples ranged from 320 to 660 mg/L. TDS range from 205 to 402 mg/L.
The TH values range from 60 to 180 mg/L. Calcium (Ca2+) in the groundwater varies 28-144 mg/L. Chloride
values range from 18 to 168 mg/L. The chlorides of the samples were well with-in the prescribed standards
for drinking water. The fluoride concentration was ranged from 0.1 to 6.7 mg/L with highest fluoride level at
Kotareddipalli (3.8 mg/L) and lowest at Kottala (0.2 mg/L). Most of the parameters analyzed were within the
permissible limits of both standards except fluoride. Due to the higher fluoride level in drinking water several
cases of dental fluorosis were appearing at alarming rate in this region. It is inferred from the study that these
water sources can be used for potable purpose only after prior treatment.