Kerala, India - A health risk Deepu T R and Shaji E Dept. of Geology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Trivandrum 695 581, India Email: shajigeology@gmail.com
A R T I C L E I N F O Keywords fluoride groundwater Palghat geospatial analyses dental fluorosis
1 Introduction Groundwater with high fluoride
A B S T R A C T
Groundwater with high fluoride content is reported from Chittur block, Pal- ghat district, Kerala, South India. Chittur block represents a mid land region of Palghat district with an area of 261 sq km and is categorized as over ex- ploited area. The study area differs from the rest of the district in its climate and is a rain shadow region with an average rainfall of 1500 mm. Palghat dis- trict represents a hard rock terrain in which weathered crystallines, laterites, alluvium form the phreatic aquifers, and deep fractures in the crystallines form the semi-confined and confined aquifers. Hydrogelogical investigations along with sample collections have been carried out to identify the fluoride affected area and to demarcate its spatial extent. 50 observation wells were estab- lished for water level and quality monitoring. 50 groundwater samples were collected from different geological units covering the entire geographical area of the block. Chemical analyses have been carried out in the department of
Geology, University of Kerala. The results have been correlated with various factors. Form the study
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