Risk Assessment of Groundwater Quality for Drinking Purposes During COVID-19 Pandemic Period Around Industrial Areas, Perundurai, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract The present research deals with the Risk assessment of groundwater quality around 15 km radius surrounding SIPCOT industrial estate, Perundurai, Erode district. It is sub-divided into three segments with radius of 5 km each. 79 groundwater samples were collected from domestic and agricultural usage open and bore well points equally distributed (each 4 km distance) over the study area with help of toposheets, during January- 2021 (COVID-19 Pandemic Period). The groundwater samples were tested to determine the physio-chemical parameters using standard testing procedure which include Ca+2, Na+, pH, TA, EC, TDS, K+, TH, Mg2+, Fe2+/3+, HCO3−,F−, NO32−, SO42− and Cl− for the preparation of spatial distribution maps of each parameter based on WHO standard. Multivariate statistical analysis shown the source of groundwater pollution from secondary leaching of chemical weathering of rocks and minerals and fertilizers used agriculture lands and least percentage of industrials effluents due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not working for all industries during last 6 months. From the Water Quality Index, 18.06 % of the area comes under high and very high risk zone and bivariate plot NO3 Vs Cl reveals that 17.72 % of the samples are from the bad quality of groundwater. The types of hardness diagram showed 32.91% of the samples fall in hard brackish water as illustrated by the Piper trilinear diagram. The high and very high risk zones, was recommended to concern department to provide the good quality of water supply to the people.