International Refereed Journal of Engineering & Technology (IRJET) – Volume1 Issue 2
A Comparative Study On Groundwater Quality
Using Piper And Chadha´S Diagrams (A Case
Study Of Narsapur-Mogalthur Mandals Of West
Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India)
M.S.V.K.V.Prasad1, G. Siva Praveena2 Ch. Durga Prasad2, P. V. V. Prasada Rao2
1
Swarnandhra Engineering College, Narsapur, West Godavari (Dt.), A. P., India
2
Dept. of Environmental sciences, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, A.P., India

Abstract— In the present world ground water chemical
behaviors in various locations are one of the most
interesting fields of research. Hydro chemical parameters
like pH, TDS, Na, K, Ca, Mg, HCO3, Cl, SO4 of the water
samples from different locations of the study are examined
with reference to APHA, 2005 guidelines. In the present
study, samples of ground water were examined with an aim
to assess the groundwater suitability, ground water quality
and water types using piper and Chadha´s plots. From the
results it was concluded that natural processes are
controlling factors of hydrochemistry. Piper and Chadha´s
diagrams were created for comparing the results of water
types. Majority of the samples were behaved in more or less
same way except few samples. Groundwater types were
assessed and compared with Piper and Chadha´s
diagrams.39% of the water samples were Ca-Mg-Cl types,
in both methods. However, a slight variation was observed
in the Na-Cl type of water.
Keywords - Hydro chemistry, Piper diagram, Chadha´s
diagram, Na-Cl type, Ca-Mg-Cl type
I. INTRODUCTION
T
he he quality of water is largely controlled and modified
by its medium of contact. The monitoring and assessment
of ground water quality gained substantial importance in the
present century. Groundwater was the most trusted form of
drinking water because of the filtering effect of the aquifer. In
the present world drinking the water directly from the source
without proper treatment is a tough task. Hydro chemical
evaluation is extremely useful in providing a preliminary idea
about the quality of ground water and its suitability for
drinking, agricultural and other activities. Without changing
much on the basic theory the methods for finding quality of
ground water had undergone substantial modifications. The
first attempt in this direction was made by Hill (1940) and
which is modified by Piper (1944). Durov (1948) further
improved the piper plot.
Piper diagram were made in such a way that the mill
equivalent percentages of the major cations and anions are
plotted in separate triangle. These plotted points in the
triangular fields are projected further into the central
diamond field, which provides the overall character of the
ground water.
In Chadha´s diagram, the difference in mill equivalent
percentage between alkaline earths (calcium plus magnesium)
and alkali metals (sodium plus potassium), expressed as
percentage reacting values, is plotted on the X- axis, and the
difference in mill equivalent percentage between weak acidic
anions (carbonate plus bicarbonate) and strong acidic anions
(chloride plus sulphate) is plotted on the Y-axis. The
resulting field of study is a square or rectangle, depending
upon the size of the scales chosen for X and Y co-ordinates.
The mill equivalent percentage differences between alkaline
earths and alkali metals, and between weak acidic anions and
strong acidic anions, would plot in one of the four possible
sub-fields. The major advantage of this diagram is that it can
be drawn in any spreadsheet (Chadha, 1999).
In the present study along with groundwater quality, water
types were assessed using Piper and Chadha´s diagrams.
II. STUDY AREA
present study area is located in mandals of NarsapurMogalthur of West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh,
India. It receives the rainfall mostly under the influence of
southwest monsoon. The study area possesses a typical semi
arid climate with hot summers and moderately cool winters.
The study area generally possesses a high humidity. The
study area experiences strong winds during the southwest
monsoon season. In general the study area lies in the valley
of river Godavari.
M.S.V.K.V.Prasad1 Swarnandhra Engineering College, Narsapur, West
Godavari (Dt.), A. P., India
G. Siva Praveena, Ch. Durga Prasad, P. V. V. Prasada Rao, Dept. of
Environmental sciences, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, A.P., India
7
International Refereed Journal of Engineering & Technology (IRJET) – Volume1 Issue 2
Fig. 1 Location map of the study area
III. MATERIALS & METHOD
Extensive groundwater sampling was conducted in
the study area. Wells were pumped for 5 minutes prior to the
collection of samples. Polythene bottles were used as
containers of ground water samples. Each bottle was rinsed
with distilled water before pouring the sample water. The
bottles were labeled and air-tighted. Two sets of samples were
collected from each location. Physical and chemical
parameters were analyzed using the standard method
suggested by APHA (1985). EC and pH were analysed at the
field itself using field kit. TDS was calculated from EC by an
empirical formula TDS= 0.64*EC. Chloride, hardness,
calcium, magnesium, carbonate and bicarbonate were
determined by titration. Flame photometer was used to
measure the sodium and potassium. Sulphate was determined
by spectrophotometer. Analytical precision was maintained
throughout the experiments. Aquachem 4.0 software package
was used to plot the piper diagram and the Chadha´s
diagram, using MS Excel spreadsheet.
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A) Water quality
Water quality parameters of the study area are presented in
Table 1. All the samples were alkaline in nature, with a rage
of 7.02- 7.77. The permissible limit of TDS in the drinking
water is 1000 mg/L (WHO 1993). However in this study, the
TDS values were varied between 179 – 1413 mg/L, with an
average of 796 mg/L. Among the 39 samples, 09 of them
exceeded the permissible limit of 1000 mg/L. Calcium and
magnesium in the study area ranged between 43-141 mg/L
and 10.4 – 102 mg/L respectively. In the normal groundwater
systems, the principal origin of these ions is carbonate
minerals and their dissolution and depositional processes.
Weathering of silicate minerals are also contributing towards
the enrichment of these minerals. Relatively less abundance
of the carbonate minerals in the study area indicate that the
major origin of Ca and Mg is silicate weathering. Na and K
concentrations were varied between 15- 273.9 mg/L and 0.339.9 mg/L. Sodium in the groundwater is largely controlled
by the saline intrusions, evaporates and silicate minerals.
However, Na and K in the study area is derived from the
weathering of the hard rocks, especially silicate weathering.
A relative lower concentration of Ca than Na shows the effect
of cation exchange between these minerals. Bicarbonate was
the dominant anion in the study area, with an average
concentration of 113.1mg/L. Apart from the dissolution of
carbonate the major origin of bicarbonates are the sewage
systems. However there is no prescribed permissible limit of
for this ion. Chloride ion is generally used in delineating the
saline intrusions. The peculiar characteristics is that this ion
has high mobility and hardly undergone for sorption. In the
study area the concentration of
Cl in the groundwater was 97-524 mg/L, with an average of
310 mg/L. sulphate in the study area varied between 2790mg/L. The major origin of sulphate is the anthropogenic
activities of the people living in the study area.
B) Water types
A Piper diagram (Fig. 2) was created for the study area using
the analytical data obtained from the hydro chemical analysis.
In general, we can classify the sample points in the piper
diagram into 6 fields. They are 1. Ca-HCO3 type 2. Na-Cl
type 3. Ca-Mg-Cl type, 4.Ca-Na-HCO3 type 5. Ca-Cl type 6.
Na- HCO3 type. However, in the present study water types
were confined to the first four types. Majority of the samples
(39%) are plotted in the Ca-Mg-Cl field. 19 % of the samples
showed Na-Cl type. Rest of them was fall in the Ca-HCO3
and Na-HCO3 types. Evaluation of the water types using
piper plot suggests that there is a clear indication of the
contribution from the weathering of hard rocks of the study
area. Dominance of Ca and Mg in the groundwater samples
suggests an inverse ion exchange process. During this process
Ca from the Aquifer matrix will be exchanged by Na from the
groundwater. However in the lower regions water is
dominated by the Na and Cl ions, which is represented by the
discharge zone. Sluggish flow in these relatively flat regions
enables sufficient rock-water interactions.
For the better understanding the hydrochemistry and
comparing the water types Chadha´s diagram was plotted
(Fig. 3). The six fields are mentioned by Chadha (1999) is
given in below. 1. Alkaline earths exceed alkali metals. 2.
Alkali metals exceed alkaline earths. 3. Weak acidic anions
exceed strong acidic anions. 4. Strong acidic anions exceed
weak acidic anions. 5. Alkaline earths and weak acidic anions
exceed both alkali metals and strong acidic anions,
respectively. 6. Alkaline earths exceed alkali metals and
strong acidic anions exceed weak acidic anions. 7. Alkali
metals exceed alkaline earths and strong acidic anions exceed
weak acidic anions. 8. Alkali metals exceed alkaline earths
and weak acidic anions exceed strong acidic anions.
8
International Refereed Journal of Engineering & Technology (IRJET) – Volume1 Issue 2
which was shifted to Ca-Mg-CO3 in Chadha´s plot. Other
types were similar in both methods. This discrepancy may be
due to the small data used in this study. Since Chadha´s plot
can be plotted in simple spreadsheets, this method will be
more suitable for small budget studies and for academic
purposes.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Fig. 2 Piper diagram for groundwater samples
The authors are thankful to Dept. of Environmental Sciences,
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam for providing necessary
conditions to carry out this work. One of the authors Mr.
M.S.V.K.V.Prasad is grateful to Dr. S. Ramesh Babu,
secretary & correspondent, Dr. K.Balaji Reddy, Principal,
Swarnandhra Engineering College, Narasapur, Andhra
Pradesh for their encouragement and support.
REFERENCES
[1] American Public Health Association (APHA). Standard
methods for the examination of water and waste water.
Washington, DC, USA: Am. Public Health Assoc. 1985;
16th ed., p. 100.
[2] Aris AZ, Abdullah MH, Kim KW, Praveena SM.
Hydrochemical changes in a small tropical island’s
aquifer: Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia. Environ Geol
2009; 56:1721–1732.
[3] CGWB, District groundwater brochure Perambalur district.
Tamil Nadu, 2009. pp 1-22.
Fig. 3 Chadha´s diagram for groundwater samples
In the present study all the samples are confined to 5, 6, 7 and
8 fields respectively. A majority of the samples (39%) are
plotted in the 6th field, representing Ca–Mg–Cl type, Ca–Mg
dominant Cl type, or Cl-dominant Ca–Mg type waters. This
is exactly similar to the results obtained from the piper plot.
Field 7 represents the Na-Cl type of water, the percentage of
samples in this category is reduced to 12%, which was 21%
in the piper plot. Rest of the samples was behaved exactly
similar to the piper plot.
V. CONCLUSION
Results of the above study suggest that all the water samples
are alkaline in nature. Major process controlling the water
quality is the silicate weathering, mineral dissolution, Cation
exchange and inverse cation exchange processes, the
groundwater flow were identified as the other supporting
factors for the hydro chemical processes. Groundwater types
were assessed and compared with Piper and Chadha´s
diagrams.39% of the water samples were Ca-Mg-Cl types, in
both methods. However, a slight variation was observed in the
second highest water type which was Na-Cl in the piper plot,
[4] Chadha DK. A proposed new diagram for geochemical
classification of natural waters and interpretation of
chemical data, Hydrogeology Journal, 1999; 7:431–439.
[5] Durov SA. Natural waters and graphic representation of
their compositions. Dokl Akad Nauk SSSR, 1948; 59 :87–
90.
[6] Hill RA. Geochemical patterns in the Coachella valley,
California. Trans Am Geophys Union 1940; 21: 46–49.
[7] Mondal NC, Singh VP, Singh VS, Saxena VK. Determining
the interaction between groundwater and saline water
through groundwater major ions chemistry. Journal of
Hydrology 2010; 388: 100–111.
[8] Piper AM. A graphic procedure in geochemical
interpretation of water analyses. Trans Am Geophys Union
1944; 25: 914– 923.
[9] Rajesh R, Brindha K, Murugan R, Elango L, Influence of
hydrogeochemical processes on temporal changes in
groundwater quality in a part of Nalgonda district, Andhra
Pradesh, India. Environ Earth Sci, 2010; DOI
10.1007/s12665- 011-1368-2.
[10] Ramesh K, Elango L. Groundwater quality and its
suitability for domestic and agricultural use in Tondiar
9
International Refereed Journal of Engineering & Technology (IRJET) – Volume1 Issue 2
river basin, Tamil Nadu, India Environ Monit Assess,
2011; DOI 10.1007/s10661- 011-2231-3.
[11] Sánchez-Martos F, Pulido-Bosch A, Molina-Sánchez L,
Vallejos-Izquierdo . Identification of the origin of
salinization in groundwater using minor ions (Lower
Andarax, Southeast Spain). Science of The Total
Environment, 2002; 297:43-58.
BIOGRAPHIES
Author is working as Assistant
Professor and is research scholar
at Dept. of Environmental
Science, Andhra UniversityVisakhapatnam, India.
[12] WHO (, 2 nd Edn.) Guidelines for drinking-water quality,
Vol 2 – Health criteria and other supporting information,
and Vol 3 – Drinking-water quality control in small
community supplies ,1993
10
International Refereed Journal of Engineering & Technology (IRJET) – Volume1 Issue 2
S.NO .
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Water
sample
location
Perupalem
Pedamaina
vanilanka
Biyyaputip
pa
Dharbarev
u
Thurputall
u
Vemuladee
vi East
Sarva
10
Lakshman
eswaram
Lingaboin
acherla
Pedalanka
11
Saripalle
12
14
Pasaladee
vi
Chamakuri
palem
Gondi
15
Narsapur
16
Rustumba
da
Royapeta
9
13
17
18
19
20
Mallavara
m
Likithapud
i
Koparru
pH
7.43
TDS
Na
K
(mg/l)
(mg/l)
(mg/l)
436
272.9
1
S.NO .
1
2
7.34
429
101.3
1
3
7.5
322
34.8
0.5
4
7.52
184
215.1
0.5
5
7.41
355
31.4
0.5
6
7.48
289
46.5
0.5
7.44
295
259.3
1.5
7
8
Water
sample
location
Perupalem
Pedamaina
vanilanka
Biyyaputip
pa
Dharbarev
u
Thurputall
u
Vemuladee
vi East
Sarva
Ca
Mg
CO3
HCO3
Cl
SO4
(mg/l)
(mg/l)
(mg/l)
(mg/l)
(mg/l)
(mg/l)
112
93
14
15.4
250
52
117
10.4
12
16.2
196
48
77
86
0
17.6
216
37
72
78
8
24.2
209
36
59
60
8
21.2
513
58
66
73
6
15.4
335
49
63
71
6
20.1
524
79
90
51
8
19.8
347
37
85
85
12
15.2
382
37
88
75
5
23.6
284
54
69
93
10
16.5
330
52
93
76
11
17.3
301
41
7.23
248
24.7
0.5
7.46
208
15
0.5
10
Lakshman
eswaram
Lingaboin
acherla
Pedalanka
7.33
987
50.7
1
11
Saripalle
12
98
41
7
21
258
54
101
44
3
18.2
298
75
7.58
443
273.9
0.5
9
7.6
179
137.8
5.8
7.49
332
28.3
0.5
14
Pasaladee
vi
Chamakuri
palem
Gondi
7.28
627
154.7
1
15
Narsapur
114
38
4
19.8
262
64
16
Rustumba
da
Royapeta
83
51
20
23.1
319
46
99
52
12
21.8
241
38
76
41
10
14.2
292
42
97
66
7
18.3
328
50
74
82
9
17.6
431
61
81
68
8
21.1
160
82
69
39
6
18.3
146
27
10
16.7
97
30
7.63
1221
44.9
0.8
13
7.2
458
109.4
0.5
7.14
645
49.2
1
17
18
7.02
267
70.1
0.3
19
7.18
373
91.4
0.5
7.22
642
81.4
17.1
20
7.33
436
225.4
0.3
22
K.bethapu
di
Modi
7.42
422
112.7
34.5
22
K.bethapu
di
Modi
23
K.p.palem
7.55
511
91.3
0.5
23
K.p.palem
48
42
24
Mutyalapa
lli
Kothota
76
62
9
17.2
225
49
43
26
12
20.1
99
33
138
102
13
24
438
90
27
Kalipatna
m
Moglthur
127
86
14
26.8
208
64
28
Moglthur-I
141
87
9
21.9
283
40
29
Seripalem
82
65
8
16.7
270
52
30
Ramannap
alem
Rajugarith
ota
79
48
3
15.1
285
38
123
56
5
173
309
37
101
46
8
182
324
42
98
48
10
19.3
470
73
106
55
9
19.1
352
46
110
59
7
212
376
44
109
68
6
18.3
283
43
98
78
4
19.2
230
46
21
24
25
26
Mutyalapa
lli
Kothota
27
Kalipatna
m
Moglthur
28
Moglthur-I
21
Mallavara
m
Likithapud
i
Koparru
7.54
321
124.7
0.3
7.42
530
84.7
0.3
26
7.59
753
135.4
0.5
7.42
521
62.4
5.6
7.77
29
Seripalem
30
Ramannap
alem
Rajugarith
ota
31
32
Seetharamap
uram South
33
Seetharamap
uram North
34
Yerramsett
ivaripuram
Varathippa
7.38
7.47
7.21
7.44
7.35
37
38
39
Minimum
Komatithip
pa
Jagannath
apuram
Navarasap
uram
pathapadu
783
616
28.9
234
39.8
0.5
0.5
1
936
1210
1001
1014
204.5
107.8
47.8
25.4
1.8
32
Seetharamap
uram South
33
Seetharamap
uram North
34
Yerramsett
ivaripuram
Varathippa
1
0.5
39.9
35
7.02
36
678
31
7.5
35
25
1233
91.4
0.5
36
7.1
1221
51.4
0.5
37
7.09
1293
213
0.5
38
99
75
5
21
285
42
122
61
10
22.3
333
47
0.3
Minimum
43
10.4
0
14.2
97
27
141
102
20
212
524
90
92
56.2
10
113.1
310
59
7.06
1365
94.7
0.5
7.13
1413
57.8
1
7.02
179
15
Komatithip
pa
Jagannath
apuram
Navarasap
uram
pathapadu
39
Maximum
7.77
1413
273.9
39.9
Maximum
Average
7.39
796
144.4
20.1
Average
11