An Evaluation Over The Methodological Efficiency In Groundwater Contamination Studies: A Case Study From Wardha Valley Coalfields.

The coalfields are very usual with the groundwater contaminations and a proficient methodology is always sought by the researchers. The present article deals with the evaluation of methodology adopted in the heavy metals contamination studies in the Wardha valley coalfields, Maharashtra. On evaluating the methodology with the respective outcomes and other related works, it is suggestive to inflate the heavy metal contamination analysis by including the hydro-geochemical approach, which ultimately contributes an understanding of accountability for the contamination. The hydro-geochemical parameters not only disclose the groundwater chemistry but also illustrate the geological influence. The statistical approach like of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) augmented with an interpolation technique executed by the ArcGIS is evident to be a competent tool to approximate the source of contamination spatially. The interpolation of factor loadings generated from the PCA on the study area maps aids in sorting spatial contamination hotspots. The petrography and mineral chemistry study of the rock taken from spatially located contamination points validates the source. The cumulative effect of all such versatile methods could be apparently reflected in the designing of the mitigation policy. The study evidently supports the adopted methodology for the fruitful groundwater contamination studies but also suggests the flexibility.