Spatial distribution of fluoride in groundwater of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Fluoride ions in drinking water is well known for both beneficial and detrimental effects on health. Millions of inhabitants in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka are vulnerable to fluorosis due to consumption of high fluoride groundwater. The objective of this study is to upgrade the spatial distribution map of groundwater fluoride levels in Sri Lanka. The map was prepared using nearly 14000 groundwater fluoride data that were collected from primary and secondary sources. The fluoride map of Sri Lanka indicates that the climate and hydrological conditions appear to play a major role in the geochemical distribution of fluoride in groundwater. In some cases, over 25 % of wells have more than 2 mg/L of fluoride, which is much higher than the recommended level for tropical countries. As shown in the map, even within the Dry Zone region, some low fluoride regions can be observed. This may probably be due to the effect of surface water, which contains fairly low levels of fluoride. In general, from among the chemical parameters in groundwater, fluoride stands out as an ion that appears to seriously affect the water quality of the Dry Zone.