Abstract
Groundwater is one of the important freshwater resources available for human utilization. Assessment of the groundwater quality is essential for improving its portability. The utilization of groundwater has been greater than ever before during recent times. The present work is intended at evaluating the water quality index (WQI) in Ramagiri Mandal of Anantapur district (Andhra Pradesh). Twenty-two groundwater samples were collected from various sites and WQI for various parameters such as total hardness, chloride, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, major anions CO3(2-), HCO3(-), Cl- and major cations like Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ are evaluated. These parameters were considered to calculate the water quality index, which ranges between 75.61 to 109.33. In most part of the studied region, water is appropriate for drinking purposes. WQI data reveals that 86% of groundwater samples fall into good water quality while the remaining 14% fall into the very poor water category. This study will contribute to our understanding of future WQI planning and research for drinking water, irrigation, residential, and industrial applications.