Abstract
Unsupervised learning techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA) were applied to the groundwater data of Mewat region (Haryana, India) collected in the pre monsoon season to identify the geochemical processes controlling groundwater chemistry. Thirteen physicochemical parameters were analyzed and were found to be above the permissible limits. The order of cation and anion concentration were found to be Na+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > K+ and Cl− > \({\text{NO}}_{3}^{ - }\) > \({\text{SO}}_{4}^{2 - }\) > \({\text{HCO}}_{3}^{ - }\) > \({\text{CO}}_{3}^{2 - }\). The dominance of Na+ and Cl− in groundwater chemistry showed the salinity factor in the groundwater. PCA applied to the data set reduced the dimensionality to four significant factors accounting 76.66% of the total variance in the data set. The first factor can be assigned to alkalinity which originates due to the dissolution of geological minerals into the groundwater, second factor is assigned to salinity (due to salt water intrusion) and hardness which is caused by weathering of sedimentary rocks and calcium bearing minerals and other factors originate as a result of industrial wastes, domestic wastes and wastes from agricultural activities. CA classified 30 sampling sites into three clusters with relatively low salinity region, high salinity and very high salinity regions based on similar water quality characteristics.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American public health association (APHA) (1998) Standard methods for the examination of waters and wastewaters’. 20th edn. Washington. DC., USA
Bakore N, John PJ, Bhatnagar P (2004) Organo-chlorine pesticide residues in wheat and drinking water samples in Jaipur. Environ Monit Assess 98(1–3):381–389
Choubisa SL, Sompura K, Choubisa DK, Pandya H, Bhatt SK, Sharma OP, Parmal L (1995) Fluoride content in domestic water sources of Dungerpur District in Rajasthan. India J Environ Health 37(3):154–160
Dagar JC (2005) Salinity research in India: an overview. Bull Nat Inst Ecol 18:69–80
Field A (2013) Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics, 4th edn. Sage, London
Foster SD, Chilton PJ (2003) Groundwater: the processes and global significance of aquifer degradation. Philos Trans R Soc London Ser B Biolog Sci 358:1957–1972
Grande JA, Gonzalez A, Beltran R, Sanchez-Rodas D (1996) Application of factor analysis to the study of contamination in the aquifer system of Ayamonte-Huelva. Ground Water 34(1):155–161
Guler C, Thyne GD (2004) Hydrologic and geologic factors controlling surface and groundwater chemistry in Indian wells—Owens valley area, southeastern California, USA. J Hydrol 285:177–198
Houatmia F, Azouzi R, Cheref A, Bedir M (2016) Assessment of groundwater quality for irrigation and drinking purposes and identification of hydrogeochemical mechanisms evolution in Northeastern, Tunisia. Environ Earth Sci 75(9):746
Jalali M (2010) Groundwater geochemistry in the Alisadr, Hamadan, western Iran. Environ Monit Assess 166:359–369
Jiang-Qi Qu, Qing-Jing Z, Pan L, Cheng-Xia J, Yang MuI (2013) Assessment of water quality using multivariate statistical methods: a case study of an urban landscape water, Beijing. Intern J Biosci Biochem Bioinformat 3(3):196–200
Kant N, Singh PK, Kumar B (2018) Hydrogeochemical characterization and groundwater quality of Jamshedpur urban agglomeration in Precambrian terrain, Eastern India. J Geol Soc India 92(1):67–75
Kim JH, Kim RH, Lee J, Cheong TJ, Yum BW, Chang HW (2005) Multivariate statistical analysis to identify the major factors governing groundwater quality in the coastal area of Kimje, South Korea. Hydrol Process 19:1261–1276
Ko KS, Lee J, Lee KK, Chang HW (2010) Multivariate statistical analysis for groundwater mixing ratios around underground storage caverns in Korea. Carbonates Evaporites 25(1):35–42
Kouping C, Jiu JJ, Jianmin H (2006) Multivariate statistical evaluation of trace elements in ground water in a coastal area in Shenzhen, China. Environ Pollut 147:771–780
Krishan AK, Govil PK (2004) Heavy metal contamination of soil around Pali industrial area, Rajasthan, India. Environ Geol 47(1):38–44
Kumar S, Bhattacherjee JW, Sharma RK (1992) Relationship between fluoride, total hardness and total alkalinity in the ground water of Barmer District (Rajasthan). Pollut Res 11(2):111–116
Kumar SK, Rammohan V, Sahayam JD, Jeevanandam M (2009) Assessment of groundwater quality and hydrogeochemistry of Manimuktha River basin, Tamil Nadu, India. Environ Monit Assess 159:341–351
Matthess G (1982) The properties of groundwater. Wiley, New York, pp 1–406
Minhas PS (1999) Use of poor-quality waters. In: Singh GB, Sharma BR (eds) 50 years of natural resource management research. Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, pp 327–246
Mohapatra PK, Vijay R, Pujari PR, Sundaray SK, Mohanty BP (2011) Determination of processes affecting groundwater quality in the coastal aquifer beneath Puri city, India; a multivariate statistical approach. Water Science Technol 64:809–817
Nag JK, Das AK (1992) Metal contents in drinking water. Indian J Environ Prot 12(9):641–645
Omezuruike OI, Damilola AO, Adeola OT, Enobong F, Olufunke S (2008) Microbiological and physicochemical analysis of different water samples used for domestic purposes in Abeokuta and Ojota, Lagos State, Nigeria. Afr J Biotechnol 7(5):617–621
Pazand K, Javanshir AR (2019) Application of multivariate statistical techniques in hydrogeochemical evolution of groundwater in a igneous rock and sedimentary aquifer system: a case study of the southern Bam, SE Iran. Carbonates Evaporites 31(1):9–16
Priyanka KG, Sharma LM, Yadav BK, Ghosh NC (2016) Analysis of water level fluctuations and TDS variations in the groundwater at Mewat (Nuh) District, Haryana (India). Curr World Environ 11(2):388–398
Rao NS (2014) Spatial control of groundwater contamination, using principal component analysis. J Earth Syst Sci 123(4):715–728
Rao YR, Keshari AK, Gosain AK (2010) Evaluation of regional groundwater quality using PCA and Geostatistics in the urban coastal aquifer, East coast of India. Intern J Environ Waste Manage 5(1/2):163
Reddy DV, Nagabhushanam P, Edward P (2011) Village environs as source of nitrate contamination in groundwater: a case study in basaltic geoenvironment in central India. Environ Monit Assess 174:481–492
Satyaji Rao YR, Keshari AK, Gosain AK (2010) Evaluation of regional groundwater quality using PCA and Geostatistics in the urban coastal aquifer, East coast of India. Int J Environ Waste Manage 5:163
Senthilkumar G, Ramanathan AL, Nainwal HC, Chidarribaram S (2008) Evaluation of the hydro geochemistry of groundwater using factor analysis in the Cuddalore coastal region, Tamil Nadu, India. Indian J Mar Sci 37(2):181–185
Singh R (2000) Environmental consequences of agricultural development: a case study from the Green revolution state of Haryana, India. Agri Ecosyst Environ 82:97–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(00)00219-X
Singh A (2010) Decision support for on-farm water management and long-term agricultural sustainability in a semi-arid region of India. J Hydrol 391(1–2):63–76
Singh CK, Kumar A, Shashtri S, Kumar A, Kumar P, Mallick J (2017) Multivariate statistical analysis and geochemical modeling for geochemical assessment of groundwater of Delhi, India. J Geochem Explor 175:59–71
Soodh SS, Kappor BS, Singh B, Grewal S (2005) Prediction of nitrate pollution of ground water—a case study. Indian J Environ Ecoplan 10(2):357
Srinivasa Rao N (1998) Impact of clayey soils on nitrate pollution in the groundwater of the lower Vamsadhara river basin, India. Hydrol Sci J 34:710–714
Subba Rao N, SuryaRao P, Venktram R, Nagamani M, Vidyasagar G, Satyanarayana NLVV (2012) Chemical characteristics of groundwater and assessment of groundwater quality in Varaha River basin, Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Environ Monit Assess 184:5189–5214
Thomas N, Sheler R, Reith B, Plenner S, Sharma LM, Saiphy S, Muste MM (2011) Rapid assessment of the fresh-saline groundwater interaction in the semiarid Mewat District (India). International Shallow Water Conference
Unmesh CP, Sanjay KS, Prasant R, Binod BN, Dinabandhu B (2006) Application of factor and cluster analysis for characterization of river and estuarine water systems—a case study: Mahanadi River (India). J Hydrol 331(3–4):434–445
Van Weert F, Van der Gun J (2012) Saline and brackish groundwater at shallow and intermediate depths: genesis and world-wide occurrence. Congress of the Canadian Branch of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH)
WHO (2012) Guidelines for drinking water, recommendations
Wold S, Esbensen K, Geladi P (1987) Principal component analysis. Chemom Intell Lab Syst 2:37–52
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sood, S., Sharma, P. Unsupervised learning techniques in groundwater quality assessment of Mewat region, Haryana, India. Sustain. Water Resour. Manag. 6, 118 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-020-00476-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-020-00476-7