Quality and suitability assessment of Khan Sahib canal and groundwater in part of Annamalainagar, Chidambaram taluk of Cuddalore district, Tamilnadu

Canal and bore well water samples were collected from 15 locations in Annamalainagar of Chidambaram taluk to understand water quality and its suitability. Geologically, the area consist of mio-pliocene sedimentary formations and geomorphologically alluvial plain and pediplain. The parameters of pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in canal water varied from 7.5 to 7.9, 870 micromhos/cm to 990 micromhos/cm, 556.8 mg/l to 633.6 mg/l. The concentration of Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, K+ and HCO3−, Cl−, SO42− varied from 45.4 to 93.2 mg/l, 6.6 to 9.8 mg/l, 34.2 to 55 mg/l, 43.5 to 68 mg/l and 73.1 to 87.8 mg/l, 40.6 to 90.5 mg/l, 2.4 to 5 mg/l respectively. In groundwater, pH, Electrical conductivity (EC),Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) varied from 6.7 to 7.9, 400 to 4160 micromhos/cm, 247 mg/l to 2326 mg/l and Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, K+ and HCO3−, Cl−, SO42− were 36.0 to 168.0 mg/l, 11.5 to 427.8 mg/l, 16.4 to 91.2 mg/l, 2.73 to 51.87 mg/l and 128.1 to 591.7 mg/l, 67.4 to 1136.0 mg/l,12.4 to 129.6 mg/l respectively. The assessment reveals that canal and groundwater are exceeded the desirable limit of WHO for drinking purpose in certain locations. The calculated values of SAR, RSC, Cl classification, Na% and CR in both the canal and groundwater is favoring for irrigation activities. It can be used for domestic and drinking after applied simple purification processes. The sewage and domestic waste, irrigational return water are the source for the canal water contamination whereas dissolution and ionic exchange are for the groundwater.