Chemical characteristics of groundwater and assessment of groundwater quality in Varaha River Basin, Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Study on chemical characteristics of groundwater and impacts of groundwater quality on human health, plant growth, and industrial sector is essential to control and improve the water quality in every part of the country. The area of the Varaha River Basin is chosen for the present study, where the Precambrian Eastern Ghats underlain the Recent sediments. Groundwater quality is of mostly brackish and very hard, caused by the sources of geogenic, anthropogenic, and marine origin. The resulting groundwater is characterized by Na + > Mg 2+ > Ca 2+ : > Cl − > , Na + > Mg 2+ > Ca 2+ : > Cl − > > , Na + > Mg 2+ > Ca 2+ : > Cl − , and Na + > Mg 2+ > Ca 2+ : Cl − > > facies, following the topographical and water flow-path conditions. The genetic geochemical evolution of groundwater ( and Cl − – types under major group of ) and the hydrogeochemical signatures (Na + /Cl − , >1 and /Cl − ,