Assessment of Contaminant Migration Using MT3DMS Model

Tentacles of modelling are omnipresent. This has become more so with the present day very fast and efficient computers with user demand being the final output, which may be numerical, graphical or 3 D pictorial. Mass transport models to study and analyze pollutant migration find enormous applications in the field of environmental management. Rapid industrialization aggravated water pollution, especially subsurface waters. This paper presents the results and inferences drawn from studies on pollutant migration from chemical and pharmaceutical industries established around the Choutuppal Industrial Area near Hyderabad. Partially effluents whether treated or untreated are being discharged from these industries directly onto the surface, into streams, polluting surface and groundwaters. In order to estimate the extent of pollution, an experimental study integrated with the application of MT3DMS was carried out. As a part of experimental investigation, the close monitoring of groundwater level and water quality was carried out. The preparation of Mass transport models was made using visual MODFLOW software with a discussion on the spatial (vertical and horizontal) and temporal expansion of plume of contamination of groundwater at different subsurface formations in the study area.