摘要：The geochemical characteristics of groundwater in the lateritic terrain of Vettikavala block, SouthKerala was evaluated during the pre-monsoon and post monsoon seasons to assess its appropriatenessfor domestic and irrigational purposes. One hundred and one water samples from shallow open wellswere collected and analysed for pH, EC, TDS and all major cations and anions. The results point outthat certain areas with acidic pH are unsuitable for drinking and other domestic purposes. Piperdiagram reveals that most of the samples were HCO3 dominated, since dissolution plays an importantrole and also no major shifting was noticed during both the seasons suggesting a static regime.Irrigational suitability assessed by percent sodium reveals that 10% of the waters in the area areunsuitable.
