Hydrochemistry of Groundwater Resources and its Suitability for Drinking and Irrigation in Rajouri District, J&K (India)

Groundwater is commonly the water occupying all voids within a geological stratum inside the earth surface. It is usually indivisible and relatively inaccessible even though it is an important source of water supply thought out the globe. In the present communication, an attempt has been made to analyze the spatio–temporal variations in the availability of water and depth of the water table. The study focused on hydrochemistry of groundwater for its utilization for domestic and irrigation purposes in the hilly district Rajouri of Jammu and Kashmir. The study established that the groundwater is available at the depth of 10–80 meters below the ground surface with the average fluctuation of 1.64 meters. The hydrochemistry of the groundwater shows that all the selected parameters like pH, FCO₂, DO₂, CO₃,HCO₃, Cl, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, SO₄are found to be within prescribed limits of WHO and BIS and is suitable for irrigation, aquaculture, hydroelectricity and other purposes. Study further established that the water quality of only hot water spring is not found within the prescribed limits of WHO and BIS which may be used only for bathing and not for drinking and irrigation purposes.