International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue IX, September 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
T.D. Denagama, P. Gajenthiran
Department of Construction Technology, University of Vocational Technology, Sri Lanka.
Abstract: Groundwater is a precious natural water resource. In Sri Lanka, 72% of the rural population and 22% of the urban population are depending on groundwater. Jaffna district is only depending on groundwater sources. Velanai Divisional Secretariat area groundwater resources are a danger due to salinity problem. In the dry season, people most affected to obtain good quality water. A detailed literature review was carried out to understand the reasons and how to overcome them. A survey with a questionnaire was conducted and chemical parameters analyzed also done. According to the analysis only one well’s water, the quality was below the permissible level. 97.50 % of wells were not suitable for drinking. The quality is depending on the soil geology and elevation from the mean sea level. The maximum elevation of Velani area is 9m and Pungudutivu is the flat terrain and average ground surface elevation from MSL is 2m. The groundwater table is 0 – 1.85m in the Pungudutivu area and the major reason for water pollution is mixing saline water with fresh water. The main reasons were seawater intrusion into the wells, over extraction and the solutions were water treatment plant for desalinization and alternative water resources should be identified.
Keywords: Groundwater quality, Water pollution, Salinity, Seawater intrusion, Desalination
I. INTRODUCTION
Water is an immense natural resource. Groundwater is the second largest fresh water source in the world. 87% of the fresh water is ice and 12% of the fresh water is groundwater. In Sri Lanka, 72% of the rural population and 22% of the urban population are depending on groundwater. It is about 60% of the total population (Villholth & Rajasooriyar, 2009). According to the World Health Organization report, 80% of the diseases are caused by water (V.Jeevaratnam, S.Balakumar, T.Mikunthan, & M.Prabaharan, 2018).
Two types of water sources are available in Northern Province such as groundwater and surface water. Jaffna districts are using surface and groundwater for domestic and agriculture purpose. The main source of recharge to the groundwater is rainfall. Pure drinking water is the main problem faced by the people in the Jaffna district. The total area of the Jaffna district is 1025 Km2. Land area is 929 Km2 and water area is 96 Km2. The administrative regions of Jaffna district include many islands. The main islands are Kayts, Pungudutivu, Nainativu, Analaitivu, Eluvaitu, Neduntivu and Karainagar. Velanai Divisional Secretariat area is covered Mandativu, Allaipiddy, Velanai, Pungudutivu and Nainativu. These areas surrounded by seawater. This division covers an