Introduction
Groundwater1
Groundwater is present beneath Earth’s surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. It is recharged from the surface usually by rainwater and may discharge on surface as oasis or springs. Groundwater is often withdrawn for agricultural, municipal, and industrial use by constructing and operating extraction wells. It is commonly being used for public water supplies. Use of groundwater has its own disadvantages, for example, polluted groundwater is less visible and more difficult to clean up than pollution in rivers and lakes. Groundwater pollution most often results from improper disposal of wastes on land. Major sources include industrial and household chemicals and garbage landfills, excessive fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture, industrial waste lagoons, tailings and process wastewater from mines, industrial fracking, oil field brine pits, leaking underground oil storage tanks and pipelines, sewage sludge and septic system. Preventing groundwater pollution near potential sources such as landfills requires lining the bottom of a landfill with watertight materials, collecting any leachate with drains, and keeping rainwater off any potential contaminants, along with regular monitoring of nearby groundwater to verify that contaminants have not leaked into the groundwater.
River Kali2
River Kali being one of the major arterial river in mid-90’s and its water being extracted for various household purposes has lost its existence due to increased sewerage discharge from industries in the outskirts of Muzaffarnagar district.
It originates from the Upper Sivaliks and passes through district Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat and Meerut before merging with Hindon River, which further flows into the Yamuna River. The total length of the river from its emergence to confluence is around 150km. This river is targeted for cleanup under the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).
Various private and government organizations have also organized events in the past to bring awareness and also to revive River Kali by imposing fines and restrictions towards untreated sewage/industrial discharge being collected in the river.
Aim and Objectives
To study the quality of river water and groundwater in its proximity by analyzing the water samples drawn from four different locations for:
Material and Methods
Study design: Observational field studyDuration of study: Two months (August 2021-September 2021)Area of Study: Muzaffarnagar DistrictProcedure (for collecting samples):Performed as prescribed in IS 3025 (Part 1)
The sample should be taken in midstream of the river and the water to be collected in polyethylene bottles.
The bottles were filled until full and closed under water to minimize aeration.
The bottle was closed properly and flex tape was applied on the lid.
The bottles were carefully labelled (sample no., date and time of collection, place of sampling, upstream/downstream) and numbered before transport.
The bottles were placed in thermo col freezer containing ice packs to maintain temperature 4°C and transported to the lab immediately.
Study procedures3
River and Groundwater will be collected from 4 different points.
The samples collected will be sent to laboratory for testing on selected parameters mentioned below in the table.
The results thus obtained will be used as a comparison between river and groundwater and its impact on public health to be studied.
Sample Collection Points
The water samples were collected from the following locations in compliance with all the necessary precautions;
Surface water of river kali from 4 locations
Groundwater from either side of the river (corresponding to each sampling location of river) within 500 meters radius.
Table 0
Table 1
Result
On testing the samples according to Indian Standard for Drinking Water 2012 the results of the following parameters were found to be:
pH
The pH of the river water ranged from 7.23 to 7.72, while that of groundwater ranged from 7.34 to 7.71 at all four selected locations. According to Indian Standards for Drinking Water 2012 these values are under the permissible limit and no irregularities were noted.
Total suspended solids
The total suspended solids in the river water ranged from 28 to 92 mg/l at all four locations. The values noted were under the permissible limit.
Total hardness (as CaCO3)
The total hardness of river water ranged from 200 to 388 mg/l, while that of groundwater was noted to be from 152-392 mg/l at all four selected locations. The values of all samples collected was above the permissible limit except groundwater from site S2 (Shamli Road) and S4 (Budhana-Khatauli road)
Biochemical oxygen demand (at 27°C for 3days)
The BOD of river water ranged from 10 to 42 mg/l. It is noted well above the permissible limit of <5.0mg/l.
Total coliform
The total coliform of river water ranged from 560 to 1260 MPN/100ml, whereas it was absent in groundwater. The total coliform of river water was above the permissible limit.
Discussion
Water pollution is a leading threat to public health in developing countries like India. The major culprit behind this rise is untreated discharge of sewerage, household water, industrial effluents. These factors together make the river water unfit for drinking as well as using it for other purposes such as bathing, cooking etc. Comparisons were drawn with various studies conducted in the past to establish a conclusion on deteriorating condition of river kali.4
The study done by U.P. pollution control board in 2019 the range of the B.O.D was 38-69.5, Total coliform count was 1.2 x 105 – 6 x 10.1
The BOD of the study conducted by National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee was found out to be 5.95mg/l at Maleera Bridge which was found out to be lesser than the values obtained.5
As stated in the study conducted by Meerut Institute of Engineering, Meerut, the Total Hardness was found out to be ranging from 210mg/l to 425mg/l, and BOD ranged from 20mg/l to 82mg/l respectively.6
The River Kali flowing majorly in Muzaffarnagar district is heavily polluted which is confirmed by the results mentioned above. It can be easily deduced from (Table 2) that the total coliform count showed an increasing trend on collecting of samples from east and moving towards west. This, heavy increase in total coliform count is due to untreated discharge from major industries i.e., paper and sugar situated on banks of river Kali. Samples collected from four different locations to test the water quality of River Kali were swiftly transported to the laboratory under desirable temperature. The samples were tested for parameters like pH, odor, taste, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Total Hardness, Dissolve Oxygen, Total suspended solids, MBAS, Lead, Mercury and Total Coliform.
As noted from the results there was an incessant increase in the total hardness of ground river and it was found to be above the permissible limit according to IS for Drinking Water 2012. Drinking unpurified hard water impose a serious health effect on the villages nearby the marked locations and its regular intake may cause kidney dysfunction. Also, hard water may cause eczema, skin irritation, dry-scaly skin and hair loss.
A two to three folds increase in Biochemical Oxygen Demand was also noted in the river water, the test to measure BOD was performed at 27°C for 3 consecutive days. Higher levels of BOD impose a serious threat to the ecosystem especially the aquatic life. Thus, it is of utmost importance to treat the industrial effluents before discharge into the river water.
The river water was found to be contaminated with enormous levels of coliform count; consumption of such water may lead to gastrointestinal diseases such as severe diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Thus, from above study it is deduced that the river water is unfit for use for any kind of household purposes such as drinking, bathing, cooking etc. and needs serious attention for its clean-up.
The groundwater in its proximity should also be avoided for drinking as long term intake of such quality of water may lead to renal dysfunction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the water of the River kali is not fit for drinking or any other purpose and also the groundwater around the river has increased hardness thus may cause ill effect on public health.
Limitation of The Study
There was heavy rainfall prior to the day the sample was taken, this could have affected the outcome as there would have been serial dilution of the river water which affects the total suspended solids and BOD.
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