Assessing Impacts of Mining-Induced Land Use Changes on Groundwater and Surface Water Quality Using Isotopic and Hydrogeochemical Signatures

Rukaiya Kausher, Rambabu Singh (), Anand Kumar Sinha, Satya Narayan Sethy, Sudhir Kumar, Shatrudhan Pandey (), Adham E. Ragab and Ahmed Mohamed
Additional contact information
Rukaiya Kausher: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi 835215, India
Rambabu Singh: Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited, Bilaspur 495006, India
Anand Kumar Sinha: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi 835215, India
Satya Narayan Sethy: Geological Survey of India, Eastern Region, DK-6, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700091, India
Sudhir Kumar: Hydrological Investigations Division, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee 247667, India
Shatrudhan Pandey: Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi 835215, India
Adham E. Ragab: Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Mohamed: Department of Structural Engineering and Construction Management, Future University, New Cairo City 11835, Egypt

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: The current investigation aimed to assess the impact of land use changes on groundwater quality because of the extensive mining activities in the coal mining province of the Mahan River catchment area, which is located in the Surguja district of Chhattisgarh, India. The water quality index (WQI), Collin’s ratio, stable isotope ratios of water molecules (δ 18 O and δD), and various physicochemical parameters were measured to determine the suitability of water for domestic purposes. Water samples collected from dug wells, tube wells, river water, and mine water were analyzed, and the results revealed that 28% of the samples were classified as excellent and 44%were classified as good during the pre-monsoon period. In the post-monsoon period, 50% of the samples were categorized as good, while 35% were classified as poor, whereas in mining areas, 54% of samples were found to be unsuitable during the pre-monsoon period, and this increased to 77% in the post-monsoon period. Stable isotope analysis was also conducted: samples were plotted to the right of the Local Meteoric Water Line (LMWL) in the isotope bivariate plot, and the observed slopes for all samples were smaller than that of the LMWL. The enrichment of the δ 18 O ratio and negative d-excess values at certain locations suggest the occurrence of non-equilibrium processes and mixing mechanisms.

Keywords: stable isotopes; mine water; oxygen-18; deuterium; d-excess; meteoric water line (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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