Fluoride Contamination in Groundwater and Its Effect on Human Health: Case Study of Baramati Tehsil Area, India

Baramati Tehsil is the rural part of the Pune district which have an arid to semi-arid region. Groundwater is the main source of drinking water for the people living in this area. The groundwater is being removed from a dug well and borewells in the study area for drinking purposes. The present study studied, fluoride from Dug well water of the Baramati Tehsil area. A total of 15 groundwater samples of dug well were collected in post-monsoon (POM) winter 2015 to pre-monsoon (PRM) summer 2017 for four seasons by using standard methods of American Public Health Association (APHA). The various physico-chemical parameters such as pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Hardness (TH), Calcium (Ca2+), Magnesium (Mg2+), Sodium (Na+), Potassium (K+), Bicarbonate (HCO3-), Chloride (Cl-), Sulphate (SO42-) and Fluoride (F-) were determined using standard procedures of APHA suggested for determination of the water quality for drinking purpose. The results obtained from the analysis was used for interpretation of fluoride and other ions concentration and the effect on human health. Results obtained indicate that the fluoride concentrations in POM and PRM were within the maximum permissible limit of WHO and BIS recommended for drinking. World Health Organization (WHO 2006) has fixed a safe limit of fluoride from 0.5 to 1.5 mg/l in drinking water. The maximum fluoride concentration in the study area was 0.68 mg/l while the minimum was 0.12 mg/l and the average fluoride concentration was 0.41 mg/l in all four seasons. The drinking water intake with fluoride content less than 0.5 mg/l can cause tooth decay. The groundwater of all wells was suitable for drinking purposes without treatment for fluoride removal at the time of analysis.