ABSTRACT
Groundwater pollution resulting from land disposal of untreated liquid and solid wastes has become a matter of serious concern. At present, contamination of groundwater by toxic constituents has become one of the major environmental problems about which awareness has come only during the last few years.
Kanpur Dehat (Rania Industrial area) and its proximity form a part of the Central Ganga alluvial plain and are underlain by a thick sequence of Quaternary alluvial deposits. The constituents are essentially clay and silt which at times are admixed with kankar (Calcareous nodules) and sands.
The present spot investigation has identified that the level of chromium (Cr+6) in groundwater exceeds 0.110 mgl-1 at several localities of the Rania Industrial area attaining as much as 42.453 mgl-1 in the depth range 15 m to 40 m below ground level. The lower limit of the permeable top unconfined aquifer zone which, in turn, is underlain by persistently thick impermeable clay bed acting as a barrier to the percolating contaminated ground water. The maximum permissible limit for chromium (Cr+6) is 0.05 mgl-1 in drinking water.
The prime cause of chromium pollution in ground water of the area is that Chromite (Cr2O4), an ore for chromium. Chromite is used for making dyes which are used in textile mills, tanneries etc. The chromite refuge ore is dumped indiscriminately on the ground which with the action of water percolates down and contaminate the phreatic aquifers in the area which have enriched concentration of Cr+6 the ground water at the specific location is observed to have higher level of toxic elements.
The high chromium in drinking water may cause corrosive action on skin and mucous membrane. Chromium and its compounds are known to cause cancer of lungs, nasal cavity and paranasal sinus and suspected to causing cancer of stomach and larynx.
