Integrated assessment of fluoride occurrence and groundwater usability: a critical concern for drinking water sustainability and irrigation in semi-arid region of West Bengal, India
Abstract Occurrence of fluoride (F−) at elevated levels in groundwater (GW) has become a major concern as it is associated with serious health issues like dental-skeletal fluorosis, severe neurological disorders, and abnormal enzymatic activities. This study conducted, in Purulia district in West Be...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Discover Sustainability |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01498-x |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849769786940063744 |
|---|---|
| author | Kousik Das Mijanur Mondal Naba Kumar Mondal Uttiya Dey Abhijit Mukherjee David Anand Aind Soumyajit Sarkar Subroto Vyas Pankaj Kumar |
| author_facet | Kousik Das Mijanur Mondal Naba Kumar Mondal Uttiya Dey Abhijit Mukherjee David Anand Aind Soumyajit Sarkar Subroto Vyas Pankaj Kumar |
| author_sort | Kousik Das |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Occurrence of fluoride (F−) at elevated levels in groundwater (GW) has become a major concern as it is associated with serious health issues like dental-skeletal fluorosis, severe neurological disorders, and abnormal enzymatic activities. This study conducted, in Purulia district in West Bengal, India, to understand the factors influencing F⁻ enrichment in GW in the context of hydroclimatic variability, its suitability for drinking water and irrigation purposes, and associated health risks. Results show that 37.5% of collected GW samples (n = 24) exceed the permissible limit of WHO (1.5 mg/L). The average and highest F⁻ concentrations recorded at 1.4 mg/L and 2.2 mg/L, respectively. A positive correlation between F⁻, Ca²⁺, and Na⁺ indicates that rock weathering significantly contributes to F⁻ mobilization. GW in this area is of Na-Mg-Cl type as indicated by the piper plot. The trend of rainfall and temperature shows an inverse relationship with F− content and GW level is one of the major aggravating hydroclimatic factors for mobilization of F− in GW. The study showed that, GW is suitable for irrigation based on geochemical indices, but elevated fluoride and moderate salinity have degraded its quality, raising concerns about increased F− exposure through dietary intake. Consequently, Dental fluorosis prevalence is notably higher among individuals aged 10–20, 21–30, and over 50, with males consuming more F⁻-rich water than females across all age groups. So, it can be concluded that, hydroclimatic variability plays a key role in driving geochemical processes that mobilize fluoride in groundwater. Therefore, identifying safe aquifers while considering demographic and climatic factors is essential for managing fluoride contamination and mitigating health impacts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5f06bdb751a24382ab03987eb792ff5e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2662-9984 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discover Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj-art-5f06bdb751a24382ab03987eb792ff5e2025-08-20T03:03:19ZengSpringerDiscover Sustainability2662-99842025-07-016112410.1007/s43621-025-01498-xIntegrated assessment of fluoride occurrence and groundwater usability: a critical concern for drinking water sustainability and irrigation in semi-arid region of West Bengal, IndiaKousik Das0Mijanur Mondal1Naba Kumar Mondal2Uttiya Dey3Abhijit Mukherjee4David Anand Aind5Soumyajit Sarkar6Subroto Vyas7Pankaj Kumar8Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, SRM University APDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, SRM University APDepartment of Environmental Science, The University of BurdwanDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, SRM University APSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology KharagpurDepartment of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology KharagpurSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology KharagpurDepartment of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology KharagpurInstitute for Global Environmental StrategiesAbstract Occurrence of fluoride (F−) at elevated levels in groundwater (GW) has become a major concern as it is associated with serious health issues like dental-skeletal fluorosis, severe neurological disorders, and abnormal enzymatic activities. This study conducted, in Purulia district in West Bengal, India, to understand the factors influencing F⁻ enrichment in GW in the context of hydroclimatic variability, its suitability for drinking water and irrigation purposes, and associated health risks. Results show that 37.5% of collected GW samples (n = 24) exceed the permissible limit of WHO (1.5 mg/L). The average and highest F⁻ concentrations recorded at 1.4 mg/L and 2.2 mg/L, respectively. A positive correlation between F⁻, Ca²⁺, and Na⁺ indicates that rock weathering significantly contributes to F⁻ mobilization. GW in this area is of Na-Mg-Cl type as indicated by the piper plot. The trend of rainfall and temperature shows an inverse relationship with F− content and GW level is one of the major aggravating hydroclimatic factors for mobilization of F− in GW. The study showed that, GW is suitable for irrigation based on geochemical indices, but elevated fluoride and moderate salinity have degraded its quality, raising concerns about increased F− exposure through dietary intake. Consequently, Dental fluorosis prevalence is notably higher among individuals aged 10–20, 21–30, and over 50, with males consuming more F⁻-rich water than females across all age groups. So, it can be concluded that, hydroclimatic variability plays a key role in driving geochemical processes that mobilize fluoride in groundwater. Therefore, identifying safe aquifers while considering demographic and climatic factors is essential for managing fluoride contamination and mitigating health impacts.https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01498-xGroundwaterFluorideHydroclimatic variabilityDental fluorosisHealth effectWater scarcity |
| spellingShingle | Kousik Das Mijanur Mondal Naba Kumar Mondal Uttiya Dey Abhijit Mukherjee David Anand Aind Soumyajit Sarkar Subroto Vyas Pankaj Kumar Integrated assessment of fluoride occurrence and groundwater usability: a critical concern for drinking water sustainability and irrigation in semi-arid region of West Bengal, India Discover Sustainability Groundwater Fluoride Hydroclimatic variability Dental fluorosis Health effect Water scarcity |
| title | Integrated assessment of fluoride occurrence and groundwater usability: a critical concern for drinking water sustainability and irrigation in semi-arid region of West Bengal, India |
| title_full | Integrated assessment of fluoride occurrence and groundwater usability: a critical concern for drinking water sustainability and irrigation in semi-arid region of West Bengal, India |
| title_fullStr | Integrated assessment of fluoride occurrence and groundwater usability: a critical concern for drinking water sustainability and irrigation in semi-arid region of West Bengal, India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrated assessment of fluoride occurrence and groundwater usability: a critical concern for drinking water sustainability and irrigation in semi-arid region of West Bengal, India |
| title_short | Integrated assessment of fluoride occurrence and groundwater usability: a critical concern for drinking water sustainability and irrigation in semi-arid region of West Bengal, India |
| title_sort | integrated assessment of fluoride occurrence and groundwater usability a critical concern for drinking water sustainability and irrigation in semi arid region of west bengal india |
| topic | Groundwater Fluoride Hydroclimatic variability Dental fluorosis Health effect Water scarcity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01498-x |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kousikdas integratedassessmentoffluorideoccurrenceandgroundwaterusabilityacriticalconcernfordrinkingwatersustainabilityandirrigationinsemiaridregionofwestbengalindia AT mijanurmondal integratedassessmentoffluorideoccurrenceandgroundwaterusabilityacriticalconcernfordrinkingwatersustainabilityandirrigationinsemiaridregionofwestbengalindia AT nabakumarmondal integratedassessmentoffluorideoccurrenceandgroundwaterusabilityacriticalconcernfordrinkingwatersustainabilityandirrigationinsemiaridregionofwestbengalindia AT uttiyadey integratedassessmentoffluorideoccurrenceandgroundwaterusabilityacriticalconcernfordrinkingwatersustainabilityandirrigationinsemiaridregionofwestbengalindia AT abhijitmukherjee integratedassessmentoffluorideoccurrenceandgroundwaterusabilityacriticalconcernfordrinkingwatersustainabilityandirrigationinsemiaridregionofwestbengalindia AT davidanandaind integratedassessmentoffluorideoccurrenceandgroundwaterusabilityacriticalconcernfordrinkingwatersustainabilityandirrigationinsemiaridregionofwestbengalindia AT soumyajitsarkar integratedassessmentoffluorideoccurrenceandgroundwaterusabilityacriticalconcernfordrinkingwatersustainabilityandirrigationinsemiaridregionofwestbengalindia AT subrotovyas integratedassessmentoffluorideoccurrenceandgroundwaterusabilityacriticalconcernfordrinkingwatersustainabilityandirrigationinsemiaridregionofwestbengalindia AT pankajkumar integratedassessmentoffluorideoccurrenceandgroundwaterusabilityacriticalconcernfordrinkingwatersustainabilityandirrigationinsemiaridregionofwestbengalindia |