Enhanced level of Nitrate, Potassium and phosphate in ground water may be due to chemical fertilizers however these parameters can also be due to sewage, animals and other anthropogenic activities.
An interesting question..
Enclosed PDFs could be worth considering...
Abstract:Identifying significant determinants of groundwater nitrate contamination is critical in order to define sensible agri-environmental indicators that support the design, enforcement, and monitoring of regulatory policies. We use data from approximately 1200 Austrian municipalities to provide a detailed statistical analysis of (1) the factors influencing groundwater nitrate contamination and (2) the predictive capacity of the Gross Nitrogen Balance, one of the most commonly used agri-environmental indicators. We find that the percentage of cropland in a given region correlates positively with nitrate concentration in groundwater. Additionally, environmental characteristics such as temperature and precipitation are important co-factors. Higher average temperatures result in lower nitrate contamination of groundwater, possibly due to increased evapotranspiration. Higher average precipitation dilutes nitrates in the soil, further reducing groundwater nitrate concentration. Finally, we assess whether the Gross Nitrogen Balance is a valid predictor of groundwater nitrate contamination. Our regression analysis reveals that the Gross Nitrogen Balance is a statistically significant predictor for nitrate contamination. We also show that its predictive power can be improved if we account for average regional precipitation. The Gross Nitrogen Balance predicts nitrate contamination in groundwater more precisely in regions with higher average precipitation. Source : J Environ Manage. 2012 Nov 30; 111(3): 178–186.doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.06.030
Very good question. The presence of excess nitrate, phosphate and potassium in ground water can also be originated from other anthropogenic activities. Hence, it is really very difficult to identify the sources simply on the basis of chemical com-position. It appears to me that a comprehensive survey of anthropogenic activities occurring on the agricultural land /surface soil/recharging areas of the aquifer could be recorded and only then the sources might be identified.
Dear Sudhir,
One of the most important parameters of the pollution of water is nitrate which is the main component of fertilizer. Nitrate is the most common form of dissolved nitrogen in groundwater. Further, it can be found in the form of nitrite (NO2 -), nitrogen (N2), nitrogen oxide (N2O) and organic nitrogen. Further, around 5-10% of nitrogen in nitrogenous fertilizers can be leached into water after absorption, evaporation and binding with soil. Therefore, measurement of nitrate can be a parameter for to determine correlation of fertilizer activities on agriculture areas.
Another factor is phosphate in fertilizer which is contributing around 40% of water pollution related to phosphates and finally converts into orthophosphates. However, Phosphates are not toxic to people or animals unless they are present in very high levels since unpolluted water content very less amounts.
Most fertilizers added with phosphates (TSP/other) which including several types of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, etc). Thus, determination of metal contamination also would be important. Potassium also incorporated to make fertilizer which is under primary nutrient category of plants.
Though, these chemicals directly related to fertilizers as per mentioned by Dr Sudhir Kumar Srivastava Nitrate, Potassium and phosphate in ground water may be Enhanced due to chemical fertilizers but these parameters also be due to sewage, animals and other activities. Therefore, to get clear conclusion better to do some spatial analysis with geographic information in that area.
Dear Dr Anoop, the pdf files attached by you is very useful. Thanks for sharing.
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