A Study on Physico-Chemical Properties of Ground Water Quality of Various Locations of Kanpur City

The quality of groundwater depends on a large number of individual hydrological, physical, chemical and biological factors. Generally higher proportions of dissolved constituents are found in groundwater than in surface water because of greater interaction of ground water with various materials in geologic strata. The water used for drinking purpose should be free from any toxic elements, living and nonliving organism and excessive amount of minerals that may be hazardous to health. Some of the heavy metals are extremely essential to humans, for example, Cobalt, Copper, etc., but large quantities of them may cause physiological disorders. The contamination of groundwater by heavy metals has assumed great significance during recent years due to their toxicity and accumulative behavior. These elements, contrary to most pollutants, are not biodegradable and undergo a global eco-biological cycle in which natural waters are the main pathways. The determination of the concentration levels of heavy metals in these waters, as well as the elucidation of the chemical forms in which they appear is a prime target in environmental research today. The Kanpur Nagar District is part of Indo Gangetic Plain. The silt, gravel, and sands of different grades are main water bearing formations. The ground water occurs under unconfined condition in phreatic zones and under confined condition in deeper zones. The sedimentological constitution of the subsurface granular zones shows remarkable variation in the depth and the nature of occurrence in north and southern part of the district. The ground water of Kanpur Nagar district is colourless, odourless and slightly alkaline in nature.