World Applied Sciences Journal 26 (12): 1610-1616, 2013 ISSN 1818-4952 © IDOSI Publications, 2013 DOI: 10.5829/idosi.wasj.2013.26.12.1682 An Investigation of Fluoride Distribution in Ladnu Block of Nagaur District, Central Rajasthan 11M. Arif, J. Hussain, 2I. Hussain and 3S. Kumar 1Department of Chemistry, Banasthali University, Niwai, District-Tonk-304022, Rajasthan, India 2National River Water Quality Laboratory, Central Water Commission, New Delhi-1107 016, India 3Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Laboratory, Bhilwara-311 001, Rajasthan, India Submitted: Oct 17, 2013; Accepted: Nov 22, 2013; Published: Dec 4, 2013 Abstract: Fluoride in groundwater is known to contaminate the water sources globally. Rajasthan, one of the states in the western part of India, is known to have excessive fluoride contenting groundwater sources. The present work involves assessment of water quality with special reference to fluoride in Ladnu block of Nagaur district in Rajasthan. Fluoride concentration of groundwater samples from forty villages of Ladnu Block was monitored and Thirty one villages were found to have a fluoride concentration above 1.5 mg/l. The maximum fluoride concentration (7.1 mg/l) was recorded in groundwater of the Roja, while minimum (0.5 mg/l) was recorded in Hudas. As per the desirable and maximum permissible limit for fluoride in drinking water, recommended by the WHO and BIS, the groundwater of thirty one villages is unfit for drinking purpose. Key words: Fluoride Groundwater Drinking water Ladnu Block Rajasthan INTRODUCTION states. It appears that high-well fluoride may exist in many more districts [7]. The prominent states, which are In most water resources, naturally occurring levels severely affected, are Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, of fluoride can be found. In surface waters, fluoride can Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Tamilnadu [8-10]. Earlier occur naturally by the deposition of atmospheric derived reports in different parts of India indicate certain particles and /or by fluoride-containing soils and rocks instances of fluorosis [11-14]. weathering and in ground water resources by leaching of In India, fluoride was first detected in drinking water rocks and soils. Also, fluoride makes its way into the at Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh in 1937 [10]. Since public sources of water through diverse human activities, then, considerable work has been done in different parts such as chemical manufacturing plants and manufacturing of India to explore the fluoride-laden water sources. At of tile, brick, glass and so on [1,2]. present, it has been estimated that fluorosis is prevalent High fluoride concentrations in groundwater are also in 17 states of India, indicating that endemic fluorosis is found in the USA, Africa and Asia [3]. The most severe one of the most alarming public health problem of the problem associated with high fluoride waters occurs in country, especially in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, China, India, Sri Lanka and Rift Valley countries in Africa Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. [4, 5]. High fluoride groundwater has been studied in The State wise fluoride concentration is shown in Table1. detail in Africa, in particular in Kenya and Tanzania [6]. In the early 1980s, it was estimated that 260 million people Geological Framework of Nagaur District: The worldwide (in 30 countries) were drinking water with >1 geological set up of the district is presented by different mg/L of fluoride. sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks belonging In India, the excessive presence of fluorides in to Bhilwara super Group, Delhi super Group. Marwar groundwater is present in nearly 177 districts covering 19 super Group, Palana Formation and Quaternary alluvium. Corresponding Author: M. Arif, Department of Chemistry, Banasthali University, Niwai, District-Tonk-304022, Rajasthan, India. Tel: +919929784396. 1610 World Appl. Sci. J., 26 (12): 1610-1616, 2013 Table 1: District showing fluoride concentration > 1.5 mg/L in groundwater in India in 2010 State District Range Assam Goalpara, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon 1.45-7.8 Andhra Pradesh Adilabad, Anantpur, Chittoor, Guntur, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Krishna, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Medak and Nalgonda 1.8-8.4 Bihar Aurangabad, Banka, Buxar, Jamui, Kaimur(Bhabua), Munger, Nawada, Rohtas and Supaul 1.7-2.85 Chhattisgarh Bastar, Bilaspur, Dantewada, Janjgir-Champa, Jashpur, Kanker, Korba, Koriya, Mahasamund, Raipur, Rajnandgaon and Surguja 1.5-2.7 Delhi East Delhi, North West Delhi, South Delhi, South West Delhi, West Delhi, Kanjhwala, Najafgarh and Alipur 1.57-6.10 Gujarat Ahmadabad, Amreli, Anand, Banaskantha, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Dohad, Junagadh, Kachchh, Mehsana, Narmada, Panchmahals, Patan, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surat, Surendranagar and Vadodara 1.6-6.8 Haryana Bhiwani, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Hissar, Jhajjar, Jind, Kaithal, Kurushetra, Mahendragarh, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak, Sirsa and Sonepat 1.5-17 Jammu and Kashmir Doda, Rajauri and Udhampur 2.0-4.21 Karnataka Bagalkot, Bangalore, Belgaun, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Chamarajanagar, Chikmagalur, Chitradurga, Davangere, Dharwad, Gadag, Gulburga, Haveri, Kolar, Koppal, Mandya, Mysore, Raichur and Tumkur 1.5-4.4 Kerala Palakkad, Palghat, Allepy, Vamanapuram and Alappuzha 2.5-5.7 Maharashtra Amravati, Chandrapur, Dhule, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Jalna, Nagpur and Nanded 1.51-4.01 Madhya Pradesh Bhind, Chhatarpur, Chhindwara, Datia, Dewas, Dhar, Guna, Gwalior, Harda, Jabalpur, Jhabua, Khargaon, Mandsaur, Rajgarh, Satna, Seoni, Shajapur, Sheopur and Sidhi 1.5-10.7 Orissa Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Bandh, Cuttack, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Keonjhar and Sonapur 1.52-5.2 Punjab Amritsar, Bhatinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Firozepur, Gurdaspur, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Patiala and Sangrur 0.44-6.0 Rajasthan Ajmer, Alwar, Banaswara, Barmer, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Bundi, Chittaurgarh, Churu, Dausa, Dhaulpur, Dungarpur, Ganganagar, Hanuman-garh, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jalor, Jhunjhunun, Jodhpur, Karauli, Kota, Nagaur, Pali, Rajsamand, Sirohi, Sikar, SawaiMadhopur, Tonk and Udaipur 1.54-11.3 Tamilnadu Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Erode, Karur, Krishnagiri, Namakkal, Perambalur, Puddukotai, Ramanathapuram, Salem, Sivaganga, Theni, Thiruvannamalai, Tiruchirapally, Vellore and Virudhunagar 1.5-3.8 Uttar Pradesh Agra, Aligarh, Etah, Firozabad, Jaunpur, Kannauj, Mahamaya Nagar, Mainpuri, Mathura and Mau 1.5-3.11 West Bengal Bankura, Bardhaman, Birbhum, Dakshindinajpur, Malda, Nadia, Purulia and Uttardinajpur 1.5-9.1 A few outcrops of gneisses belonging to the Mangalwar which is subdivided into Jodhpur, Bilara and Nagaur Complex of the Bhilwara Super group are exposed north- group representing arenaceous, Calcareous and areno- east of Nawa. The Delhi Super Group includes Alwar. argillaceous fancies respectively. These rocks are overlain Ajabgarh/ Kumbhalgarh and punagarh Group in by sandstone and bentonite of the Palana formation. descending order of antiquity. The rocks of Alwar Group The Marwar Super Group of rocks showing horizontal to are well exposed in the eastern part of the district and gently inclined disposition of different beds which are comprise arkose, grit, conglomerate and schist. The displaced by different faults. Palana and other Tertiary overlying Ajabgarh / Kumbhalgarh Group of rocks are formations are showing same altitude. exposed between kerkeri and Bijathal. The Ajabgarh At present, in India, endemic fluorosis is thought to Group mainly consists of Quartzite with schist and marble. affect 1 million people [15]. Rajasthan is known as a desert Kumbhalgarh comprises mica schist and marble. The state with acute water crisis. Since many pockets were overlying punagarh Group of rocks (quartzite, slate identified as fluoride affected belts [8, 16-23]. But Ladnu phyllite, marble etc.) occur as isolated outcrops. The rocks block of Nagaur district was not studied, so the main of Bhilwara Super Group and Delhi Super Group are objective of the study was to investigation of fluoride structurally isoclinal and recline fold which are exposed contamination in groundwater or Ladnu block of Nagaur along south eastern margin (trend NE-SW) of the district district, Central Rajasthan. adjacent to Ajmer district. The rocks of Delhi super Group have been intruded by the Erinpura granite and the Study Area: The district is located between Latitude Malani Igneous suite. All these rocks are overlain by the 26°25’ and 27°40’ and longitude 73°18 and 75°15 E, marine sedimentary sequence of the Marwar Super Group because of its central situation in Rajasthan, it shares its 1611 World Appl. Sci. J., 26 (12): 1610-1616, 2013 border with several other district of the state. On the north village Roja while the minimum 0.5 was in village Hudas it is bounded by Bikaner and Churu districts, on the east samples was found maximum desirable limit of Indian by Sikar and Jaipur district. The total geographical area of Drinking Water Standards IS: 10500, 1993 (i.e. 1.0 mg/l), the district is 17718 sq. km. The study area i.e. Ladnu while 31 samples were recorded beyond permissible limit located between Latitude 27°39’ and 27°65 N and as per decided by Indian Drinking Water Standards [27]. longitude 74°23’ and 74°38’ 33”E [24]. The fluoride concentration of various villages was shown in Table 2. MATERIAL AND METHOD All habitations were categorized in following five categories as proposed by Hussain et al. to demonstrate Water Sample Collection: Groundwater samples of the fluoride distribution [28]:- forty villages located