Phenol - An Indicator of Groundwater Pollution by Industrial Effluents in Durgapur, West Bengal

Statistical analysis of phenol concentration in groundwater of Durgapur, West Bengal, has indicated groundwater pollution by industrial effluents carrying phenolic compounds. A second degree multiple regression expression (with goodness fit of 76%) clearly shows decreasing concentration of phenol away from the potential sources. A smoothing technique called kriging to fit a 3D-scatterplot of phenol concentration by latitude and longitude has been applied to study the pattern of spatial variation of phenol concentration. Contour plot based on successive vertical slices through the surface of kriging, smoother overlaid on the data coded by phenol concentration, depicts high phenol concentration well beyond the WHO (World Health Organisation) specified potable water quality.