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ABSTRACT:
Most of the people in rural areas depend on bore wells, open wells and hand pumps for drinking water. The present investigation was undertaken to study the level of fluoride ions in the groundwater of Mangladevi region by collecting 32 samples of the groundwater from 14 different villages during February 2013 to March 2013. The fluoride concentration in the underground water of these villages varied from 0.00 mg/l to 1.98 mg/l. Majority of the water samples were within permissible limits according to Indian as well as WHO standards except the samples SKP-15, SKP-16, SKP-17 and SKP-18 of north zone of Mangladevi region which are above the permissible limit (>1.5 mg/l).Also dental and skeletal fluorosis was noticed in Dhamak and Kurhegaon village of north zone hence removal of excess fluoride and supply of high-quality groundwater with safe concentration of fluoride is very necessary.
KEYWORDS: Fluoride ion, Groundwater, Mangladevi Region, North Zone, WHO standards, Permissible limit.
INTRODUCTION:
Ground water forms a major source of drinking water in urban as well as in rural areas. More than 90% of the rural population uses ground water for domestic purposes. Fluoride is a common constituent of groundwater. It is the most electronegative of all chemical elements and is never encountered in nature in the element form [1]. Fluoride is an ion of the chemical element fluorine which belongs to the halogen group of minerals and is natural constituents of the environment. Fluorine is the 13th most abundant element of the earth crust. It represents about 0.3 g/kg of earth's crust [2]. It occurs mainly in the form of chemical compounds such as sodium fluoride or hydrogen fluoride which are present in minerals fluorspar, fluorapatite, topaz and cryolite. High concentrations of fluoride in water are generally found in ground waters. In India the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi are affected by fluoride contamination in water. This involves about 9000 villages affecting 30 million people [3].
Estimation finds that 65% of India's villages are exposed to fluoride risk [4].Use of phosphatic fertilizers in agriculture and industrial activities like clays used in ceramic industries or burning of coals also contribute to high fluoride...