A chemometric and ingestion hazard prediction study of groundwater in proximity of the Bandhwari landfill site, Gurugram, India

Groundwater contamination due to the leaching of harmful pollutants such as heavy metals, xenobiotic compounds, and other inorganic compounds from solid waste dumping sites has become a major health concern in recent times. Therefore, to assess the effects of the Bandhwari landfill site, groundwater samples from the surrounding region of the dumping site were collected and analyzed for heavy metals and physicochemical properties. The total dissolved solids (TDS) of 67% of samples exceeded the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) permissible limits which makes it unfit for drinking purposes. The groundwater samples were also analyzed for iron (Fe), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr) concentrations and results of heavy metal concentration in the groundwater around the Bandhwari landfill follow the concentration trend of Pb > Cd > Ni > Cu > Zn > Fe > Cr. Risk assessment of consumers' health was done using target hazard quotient calculations which were less than unity (threshold value of <1), indicating that heavy metal concentrations do not pose any serious health effect according to total hazard quotient values. The results of the study made it evident that groundwater is not suitable for drinking purposes due to excess values of water quality parameters but poses no risk due to studied metal concentrations.