Hydrogeochemical Survey along the Northern Coastal Region of Ramanathapuram District, Tamilnadu, India  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630003, Tamil Nadu, India; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (P.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (K.T. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.A. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.S.)  
2 Department of Disaster Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630003, Tamil Nadu, India 2  
[PERSON]  
3 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Pukyong National University, Busan 608737, Korea; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630003, Tamil Nadu, India; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (P.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (K.T. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.A. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.S.)  
2 Department of Disaster Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630003, Tamil Nadu, India 2  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630003, Tamil Nadu, India; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (P.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (K.T. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.A. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.S.)  
2 Department of Disaster Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630003, Tamil Nadu, India 2  
[PERSON]  
3 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Pukyong National University, Busan 608737, Korea; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
4 Department of Geology, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
5 Correspondence: venkatram  
aquifers worldwide [8; 9]. Conditions such as tidal activities, backwater in estuaries and lagoons, low hydraulic gradient in coastal regions, sea level rise, lower infiltration rates, local hydrogeological conditions, and overexploitation are the reasons for saltwater intrusion into nearshore aquifers [10; 11; 12; 13; 14]. As a result, the use of many drinking water wells and numerous farms near the coast has come to a halt due to saline groundwater. Rapid industrialization and urbanization along coastal regions make it necessary to study the effects of increased anthropogenic pressure on the dynamics of hydrogeochemistry in these areas. Hydrogeochemistry needs to be studied to identify the controlling factors and gain a comprehensive understanding of the source, origin, distribution, and driving force of organic and inorganic compounds in various coastal aquifers [15; 16; 17]. Environmental conditions, such as the geological and hydrogeological settings in which groundwater occurs, can be studied through hydrogeochemical investigations [18; 19; 20; 21]. The assessment of saline water intrusion into nearshore aquifers based on groundwater geochemistry has been successfully conducted by several authors [22; 23; 24; 25; 26]. The number of groundwater resources is estimated to be 30 million. They are the sole drinking water supply for most rural households in India, but they are rapidly becoming a serious problem due to overexploitation and degradation [9; 27; 28]. In addition to natural processes, anthropogenic contaminants of municipal wastewater, leachates from landfills, agricultural fertilizers as return flow from irrigation, and industrial effluents are other important factors in water quality degradation [29; 30]. Comprehensive studies of water quality in shallow aquifers in coastal areas have shown that the existing groundwater is of poor quality and exceeds the drinking water limits set by the WHO [18; 31; 32]. Hydrogeochemical analysis is a valuable tool for identifying the processes responsible for groundwater chemistry [33; 34]. The hydrogeochemical processes of the groundwater system help to understand the contributions of rock-soil-water interactions [22; 35; 36]. Geochemical processes such as oxidation and reduction reactions, carbonate equilibrium, adsorption, and desorption occur as groundwater moves through the soil medium, which plays an important role in hydrogeochemical evolution and seasonal spatial variations in groundwater geochemistry [37; 38].