Hydrochemical, hydrogeological, and cancer health risk analysis of groundwater due to anthropogenic activities, Hasilpur, Pakistan

Drinking water quality deteriorates rapidly due to anthropogenic activities and rapid population growth. These activities, in developing countries, will lead to water scarcity. In Pakistan, 70% of the population has no access to safe water, and people use canal water to drink. This study performed hydrochemical, hydrogeological, and cancer risk analyses on Tahsil Hasilpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Thirteen tube wells were selected for groundwater and borehole log study. Twenty-two drinking water quality parameters were analyzed using standard methods and quality checks. The borehole data (2D and 3D) shows the abundance of sand (fine and coarse) with some uniformities, which changes the groundwater quality. The results of water quality parameters show that the concentration of TDS (2064–11,159 mg/L), Cl −1 (213–4917 mg/L), As +3 (0.048–0.158 mg/L), Pb +2 (1.294–1.673 mg/L), and Cd +2 (0.008–0.053 mg/L) were beyond guideline values. The statistical analysis showed that the parameters have a moderate to strong correlation (Pearson correlation), which may be due to the same origin (ANOVA). The principal component analysis and cluster analysis confirm the multiple sources of pollutants in the groundwater of the study area. The Piper, Durov, Stiff, and Scholler diagrams confirm that the groundwater system has an abundance of Ca +2 and Mg +2 with Cl −1 . The Gibbs diagram showed that the groundwater is not saturated and tends to dissolve more minerals. The hazard quotient values are above 1.0, which indicates noncancer risk severity. The HQ trend was As +3 > Pb +2 > Cd +2 > Ni +2 > Cu +2 > Cr +2 > Zn +2 > Fe +2 . The cancer risk values showed that 3–5 people/100 population were exposed to cancer risk. The trend of CR was As +3 > Cd +2 > Cr +2 > Pb +2 > Ni +2 . The GIP mapping of pollutants showed that the concentration of pollutants near the canals was high compared to the locations away from the canal. The overall groundwater quality is alarming and needs immediate government attention.