Assessment of environmental radioactive elements in groundwater in parts of Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh, South India using scintillation detection methods

摘要

The objective of this work was to determine the radioactive element concentrations in groundwater in parts of the Nalgonda district. Results indicate that Rn-222 activity is present in significant levels in deep groundwater compared to shallow groundwater and tank water. An increasing Rn-222 activity trend is noticed along the well depth while electrical conductivity, uranium, and alkalinity levels showed inverse trends. Environmental tritium data indicates modern recharge to groundwater. Inter-elemental correlations suggest that high dissolved uranium is associated with high alkalinity and high electrical conductivity groundwater. The study also infers recharge sources and mechanisms to shallow and deep groundwater.