Impact of seawater on distribution of fluoride and other ions in groundwater of Diplo area, Thar Desert Pakistan.

The role of seawater dilution, along with other water-quality components, has been studied to determine the causes of spatial distribution of high fluoride concentrations in the groundwater of the Diplo sub-district, Thar Desert, Pakistan. Fluoride ion concentration ranges of up to 7.60 mg/L were discovered, with mean and median values of 1.66 and 1.34 mg/L, respectively. Estimates based on the total dissolved solid (TDS) ratio show the impact of seawater intrusion at a percentage of around 8.05% in the groundwater. The major ion chemistry of water in the central diamond shape of the Piper diagram precisely demarcates the phenomenon of the intrusion of seawater into the study area. The plots of Na+K vs. Ca+Mg (meq/L) and log C1 (mg/L) vs. log Ca+Mg/Na+K (meq/L) indicate a mixing of freshwater with seawater. The molar Na/Na+Cl and Ca/Ca+SO4 ratios of the groundwater, and correlation matrices of major ion chemistry, also show a blending of groundwater with seawater. Mutual relationships among Li+, Sr2+, and C1- ions further substantiate the marked influence of the marine environment on the groundwater in the study area.