Uranium distribution and its correlation with geochemical parameters in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Water samples collected from water resources in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan were processed radiochemically to evaluate uranium concentration along with associated geochemical parameters. LED fluorimetry was used to measure uranium concentration, while multi-parameter kits were used to evaluate the geochemical parameters. The mean uranium concentration was 14.0 ± 11.4 μgL−1 in the premonsoon period and 16.3 ± 13.2 μgL−1 in the postmonsoon period, which was found to be within the limit of 30 μgL−1, as recommended by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS, 2021). Geochemical parameters such as pH, conductivity, total dissolved solid (TDS), oxidation reduction potential, dissolved oxygen, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, hardness, and alkalinity ranged from 7.1–9.4, 226–4540 μScm−1, 125–2630 ppm, 149–287 mV, 9.1–11.4 ppm, 14–690 ppm, 0.1–2.2 ppm, 12–181 ppm, 135–990 ppm, and 129–1266 ppm, respectively. TDS, hardness, alkalinity, and nitrate were observed to be higher than the BIS limit at some locations. Maximum geochemical parameters were within the guidance limit for drinking water (BIS, 2012) excluding nitrate. The distribution of geochemical parameters and uranium content were vastly heterogeneous, signifying the influence of regional lithology and geochemistry.