Assessment of Shallow Groundwater Quality in Usupur Village Panchayat in Chidambaram Taluk of Cuddalore District, Tamilnadu State

Ever-increasing population and its increasing water needs due to improved life styles have led to more and more tapping of groundwater resources due to continuous deterioration of most surface water resources. This necessitates the urgent need to monitor the quality characteristics of groundwater being tapped for domestic activities. The study reported in this paper was undertaken to assess the physicochemical characteristics of shallow groundwaters in eight residential habitations of Usupur Village Panchayat near Chidambaram town in Cuddalore District, Tamilnadu State. The quality parameters namely, pH, total dissolved solids, total hardness, total alkalinity, chlorides, nitrates, fluorides and iron were analysed using standard procedures. The study revealed that the groundwater was not fit for drinking and cooking but with certain affordable ameliorations at household level it could be made fit for other domestic activities such as bathing, washing and gardening.