Index-Based Evaluation (IBE) and Geospatial Mapping of Heavy Metal Contamination in Groundwater of an Industrially Influenced Peri-Urban Area of Guwahati, Assam; India

Index-Based Evaluation (IBE) and Geospatial Mapping of Heavy Metal Contamination in Groundwater of an Industrially Influenced Peri-Urban Area of Guwahati, Assam; India | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Index-Based Evaluation (IBE) and Geospatial Mapping of Heavy Metal Contamination in Groundwater of an Industrially Influenced Peri-Urban Area of Guwahati, Assam; India Debasish Chutia, Satyajit Kataki, Aditya Shankar Kataki This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7371492/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study evaluates the geospatial variability of heavy metal contamination in groundwater within an industrially influenced peri-urban area spanning parts of Guwahati, Assam, and Meghalaya, India. The region is experiencing rapid population and industrial growth, driven by its proximity to the state capital and rising urban costs, often with limited consideration for groundwater sustainability. Groundwater was sampled across the study area during both the pre- and post-monsoon seasons and analysed for heavy metal concentrations using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Index-Based Evaluation (IBE), comprising Metal Index (MI) and Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI), was employed to assess cumulative contamination levels. The results revealed significantly elevated concentrations of Lead, Cadmium, Nickel, and Manganese in several locations, particularly during the pre-monsoon season. Notably, Lead exceeded permissible limits in over 90% of the samples. MI and HPI values confirmed widespread contamination, with 21 locations during pre-monsoon and 7 locations during post-monsoon falling into the ‘seriously affected’ category (MI ≥ 6). Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and box plots further supported the temporal patterns of contamination. The geospatial maps generated using GIS and Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation techniques clearly illustrated contamination hotspots and seasonal dilution effects, with improved water quality observed post-monsoon due to natural recharge. High contamination is not uniform across the aquifer but concentrated near industrial clusters, indicating point-source or localized anthropogenic inputs rather than widespread geogenic leaching. The methodological framework and outcomes of this study offer a transferable model for industrially stressed aquifers, enabling early detection, spatial prioritization, and timely remediation of heavy metal contamination at a global scale. Index-Based Evaluation (IBE) Geospatial Mapping IDW interpolation Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) Heavy metals Groundwater Assam Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7371492","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":501374766,"identity":"881543b5-45da-49b8-9dc2-90fc83a754ea","order_by":0,"name":"Debasish Chutia","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Cotton University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Debasish","middleName":"","lastName":"Chutia","suffix":""},{"id":501374767,"identity":"776f15e0-b004-4e59-a4f5-6de154db0ab7","order_by":1,"name":"Satyajit Kataki","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABZklEQVRIie2RMWuDQBTHn1jMcqnrC02Tr3DiEshQ+k1yCHFpSkv3oAQui+DakKFfIWPGgJAuQla7KYF2SUHpYsGhpyQxKWnnQv3Byd3z/e79RYCKij8LQbHyzQJb+6JSPOn21DtolwsFhSJZQtFFRWxKhZ5WAHYKMGunbKHwjfZ4tcS02RkC8d7C1O+Y7th9DpO5d3uOxjJJ7zJm1bwQovn+Dt9QGk4erM412wlw8Oh7kj3xvQcF+8aUUMos0qfA/HKsoSDJFRU0i8Q4mKEhjercY5z4ugy5AjcAjO+DuWulkRVKLbGzGE1aKqsPKc0VdXOoQGAoF8WUuqONSIC9Uqk5MhTB8GgKDdZ6t0mwIWLcT5s+auJbtMmEm0LhukyornN8pYvDYCx6eXeGqkrMWbJZDtvq2A7jhHfZ00heS2nWunRVI4o+y2AAZyg5ux93iuu8eXFUkmNIf+wXXP32sqKiouI/8AUyz4C15il/fAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Cotton University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Satyajit","middleName":"","lastName":"Kataki","suffix":""},{"id":501374768,"identity":"f08f19b3-df6c-4356-a295-0d33800b8e08","order_by":2,"name":"Aditya Shankar Kataki","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Glasgow","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aditya","middleName":"Shankar","lastName":"Kataki","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-08-14 08:24:10","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7371492/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7371492/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":90724011,"identity":"c3a82483-8f2e-4a18-a6c9-f508a836b68f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-06 13:23:45","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1127322,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"PaperHeavyMetalsDigaruFinalDraft090825.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7371492/v1_covered_c73a59b5-205e-4104-a7c2-50333d6e65d7.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Index-Based Evaluation (IBE) and Geospatial Mapping of Heavy Metal Contamination in Groundwater of an Industrially Influenced Peri-Urban Area of Guwahati, Assam; India","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Index-Based Evaluation (IBE), Geospatial Mapping, IDW interpolation, Kernel Density Estimation (KDE), Heavy metals, Groundwater, Assam","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7371492/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7371492/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study evaluates the geospatial variability of heavy metal contamination in groundwater within an industrially influenced peri-urban area spanning parts of Guwahati, Assam, and Meghalaya, India. The region is experiencing rapid population and industrial growth, driven by its proximity to the state capital and rising urban costs, often with limited consideration for groundwater sustainability. Groundwater was sampled across the study area during both the pre- and post-monsoon seasons and analysed for heavy metal concentrations using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Index-Based Evaluation (IBE), comprising Metal Index (MI) and Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI), was employed to assess cumulative contamination levels. The results revealed significantly elevated concentrations of Lead, Cadmium, Nickel, and Manganese in several locations, particularly during the pre-monsoon season. Notably, Lead exceeded permissible limits in over 90% of the samples. MI and HPI values confirmed widespread contamination, with 21 locations during pre-monsoon and 7 locations during post-monsoon falling into the \u0026lsquo;seriously affected\u0026rsquo; category (MI\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;6). Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and box plots further supported the temporal patterns of contamination. The geospatial maps generated using GIS and Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation techniques clearly illustrated contamination hotspots and seasonal dilution effects, with improved water quality observed post-monsoon due to natural recharge. High contamination is not uniform across the aquifer but concentrated near industrial clusters, indicating point-source or localized anthropogenic inputs rather than widespread geogenic leaching. The methodological framework and outcomes of this study offer a transferable model for industrially stressed aquifers, enabling early detection, spatial prioritization, and timely remediation of heavy metal contamination at a global scale.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Index-Based Evaluation (IBE) and Geospatial Mapping of Heavy Metal Contamination in Groundwater of an Industrially Influenced Peri-Urban Area of Guwahati, Assam; India","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-08-19 05:09:58","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7371492/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"bf7cc73e-965f-4781-89f5-da96fcaac4b9","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 19th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-09-06T13:23:30+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-08-19 05:09:58","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7371492","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7371492","identity":"rs-7371492","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}