Groundwater is the principal source of water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use in rapidly urbanising regions of India; however, increasing groundwater abstraction and anthropogenic pressures threaten its longterm quality and sustainability. This study presents a decadal assessment of groundwater quality in Vadodara, Gujarat, India, by comparing historical baseline data collected during 20142017 with regional groundwater monitoring records available up to 2026. Six strategically selected monitoring stations representing residential, commercial, and industrial areas were investigated using standard analytical procedures recommended by the American Public Standards (BIS) permissible limit for drinking water. Organic contamination also intensified, with COD increasing from 2.0 mg/L to 45.50 mg/L at Gajravadi (GW3), indicating increasing anthropogenic influence. Elevated TDS (2100 mg/L) and electrical conductivity at Baroda Dairy, together with severe groundwater hardness at Gotri, further demonstrate progressive aquifer mineralisation and declining suitability of groundwater for domestic consumption. These long-term trends are associated with intensive groundwater abstraction, rapid urban expansion, and inadequate wastewater management. The Health Association (APHA). The assessment focused on key physicochemical parameters, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), fluoride (F?), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and hardness. The results revealed a significant deterioration in groundwater quality over the study period. Fluoride concentrations increased substantially at several monitoring locations, reaching 6.90 mg/L at Sama (GW1) and 5.10 mg/L at Baroda Dairy (GW4) in the 2026 comparison dataset, greatly exceeding the Bureau of Indian findings demonstrate the combined influence of geogenic processes and anthropogenic activities on groundwater quality deterioration in Vadodara and emphasise the urgent need for integrated groundwater management. Sustainable interventions, including Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), improved municipal sewage infrastructure, regular groundwater quality monitoring, and community-scale defluoridation programmes, are recommended to safeguard groundwater resources and protect public health in rapidly urbanising semi-arid regions.
Groundwater quality; Urban aquifer; Semi-arid region; Fluoride contamination; Hydrogeochemistry; Urbanisation; Groundwater monitoring; Vadodara; Western India.