Elevated nitrate concentration in groundwater is a worldwide problem. Continuous exposure to high levels of nitrate in groundwater may cause adverse health effects among residents who use groundwater for consumption. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the nitrate distribution and its potential health risk assessment from semi-arid region of Peddavagu in Central Telangana (PCT), South India. Groundwater samples were collected from thirty five locations and analyzed for nitrate and other water quality parameters. Nitrate (NO₃^-) in groundwater was observed to vary from 17 to 120 mg/L, with a mean of 58.74 mg/L. About 57% of samples exceeded the maximum acceptable limit of Indian drinking water standard. About, 40% of groundwater samples drinking water quality index (DWQI) is good, while 60% of groundwater falls in poor quality for drinking purposes. Health risk maps were created based on hazard quotient to quantify the potential health risk of the residents using US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) health risk assessment model. Health risk assessment revealed that mean total hazard index (HI_total) for men, women, and children were found as 1.42E + 00, 1.67E + 00, and 1.95E + 00, respectively. Results exhibited that children are at high health risk than men and women in the PCT. Further, the human exposure to the NO₃^- contaminated water was above the critical limit of non-carcinogenic risk.

地下水中硝酸盐浓度升高是一个世界性的问题。持续接触地下水中高水平的硝酸盐可能会对使用地下水进行消费的居民造成不利的健康影响。因此，本研究旨在确定印度南部中部特兰甘纳邦（PCT）佩达瓦古半干旱地区的硝酸盐分布及其潜在的健康风险评估。从35个地点收集了地下水样品，并分析了硝酸盐和其他水质参数。硝酸盐（NO ₃ ^-）在地下水中的浓度在17至120 mg / L之间变化，平均值为58.74 mg / L。大约57％的样品超过了印度饮用水标准的最大可接受极限。约有40％的地下水样本饮用水水质指数（DWQI）良好，而出于饮用水目的，有60％的地下水质量较差。使用美国环境保护署（US EPA）健康风险评估模型，根据危害商创建健康风险图，以量化居民的潜在健康风险。健康风险评估显示，男性，女性和儿童的平均总危险指数（HI _total）分别为1.42E + 00、1.67E + 00和1.95E + 00。结果表明，在PCT中，儿童比男性和女性的健康风险更高。此外，人类暴露于NO₃ ^-受污染的水是上述的非致癌风险临界极限。