Vol. 11 | No. 3 |1270 - 1276 | July - September | 2018 ISSN: 0974-1496 | e-ISSN: 0976-0083 | CODEN: RJCABP http://www.rasayanjournal.com http://www.rasayanjournal.co.in Rasayan J. Chem., 11(3), 1270-1276(2018) http://dx.doi.org/10.31788/RJC.2018.1134026 QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF GROUNDWATER IN SINGRAULI COALFIELD REGION, MADHYA PRADESH A. K. Sonkar and A. Jamal Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi-221005, India *E-mail : ashwanijack@gmail.com ABSTRACT Singrauli coalfield is mostly affected by active mining industries. The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of mining activities on groundwater quality in Singrauli Coalfield area of Madhya Pradesh. The present study aims are determining the groundwater quality Index in Singrauli Coalfield region. Six groundwater samples were collected from the wells & hand pump located in the study area and analyzed for hydro-chemical characteristics such as pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, Hardness, Dissolved oxygen,Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Bicarbonate, Chlorides, Sulphate, and Iron. The obtained results were compared with ISI (Indian Standard Institution) and WHO (World Health Organization) standards for drinking water. The results indicate that groundwater was more affected by coal mines. Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to identify the sample location. Keywords: Water Quality Index (WQI), Physico-chemical parameters, Groundwater, Coalmines. © RASĀYAN. All rights reserved INTRODUCTION Singrauli district of Indian state of Madhya Pradesh emerging as India’s Energy capital covered by open cast coal mine, electricity generation power plants, and dense forests. The availability of water by exterior and groundwater resources has become serious. This section deals with the water quality of tube wells and dug wells with special reference to the suitability of water for drinking purpose. Mining activity significantly affects the local environmental system in various ways, including land subsidence, lowering the groundwater table, Ground and Surface water quality and mine gas emissions. Open cast coal mining activities disturb the hydro-geological system and result in physical, chemical and environmental changes often resulting in pollution of both surface and groundwater. The major impact of open cast coal mining is degradation in the water quality due to acid mine drainage, toxic pollutants and change in hydrology and disturbance in groundwater table which results into lowering of groundwater table leading to a reduced yield of water from the bore-wells. Provision of groundwater for drinking purpose under desirable limit suggested by standards is mandatory. 13 GPS techniques are used to identify the location of the earth surface features. GIS is used to incorporate the GPS location information and to do further analysis. The water quality index of the study area is essential to understand the quality of water in that area. Study Area The study area lies partly in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh and partly in Sonebhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. The Singrauli coalfield lies between 24°00'N to 24°15'N latitude and 82°30'E to 82°45'E longitude. The coal reserves in the north-eastern part of Singrauli coalfield and the total area of the coal field is 2201 km2, however, at present, only 300 km2 area is exploited for coal. With the availability of power grade coal reserves and the nearby Govind Ballabh Pant, Sagar reservoir offers an excellent location for super thermal power plants (STPS). The area is occupied by structural hills on the northern part with elevation ranging between 280 m - 610 m. There are eleven mining blocks of which Kakri, Bina, Marrak, and part of Khadia and Dudhichua are in Uttar Pradesh whereas Jhingurda, Gorbi, Moher,