International Journal of Environmental Science and

Engineering Research (IJESER)

www.journal-ijeser.com
ISSN: 0976-3708 (print) IJESER
Vol 2(1):0-14, 2011

B.K. Harish Kumar and S. Srikantaswamy*

Seasonal Water Quality Department of Studies in Environmental Science,
University Of Mysore,
Index of Tungabhadra Manasagangotri, Mysore 570 006,
Karnataka, India

River Karnataka, India

ABSTRACT

Water is super abundant on the planet as a whole, but potable water is not always available at the right time or
right place for human or ecosystem use. The importance of water is underscored by the fact that many great
civilizations in the past sprang up along or near water bodies. The development of water resources has often been
used as a yardstick for socioeconomic and health status of many nations worldwide. However, its pollution often
negates the benefits obtained from the development of these water resources. In the present study an attempt has
been made to evaluate water quality of Tungabhadra River for a period of one year. In order to evaluate the quality
of Tungabhadra River, water samples were collected from different locations in various seasons during 2009-2010.
Analyses were carried out with various chemical techniques to determine the water quality. The water quality
parameters were analyzed; temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid (TDS), dissolved oxygen,
biochemical oxygen demand, total hardness, total alkalinity, chloride, Nitrate, phosphate, sulphate, calcium,
magnesium, sodium and potassium. Ten different stations were selected in the present study along the river basin for
the sample collection. Seasonal water quality index (WQI) has been calculated by correlating various parameters
analyzed and is compared with WHO standards. During summer WQI is more than the other seasons. Also, the WQI
at the upstream is more than the downstream. It was observed that the impact of human activity was severe on most
of the parameters. It was observed that the main cause of deterioration in water quality was due to the lack of
proper sanitation, unprotected river sites and high anthropogenic activities.

Keywords: Tungabhadra River; TB Dam; Water Quality Index; Physico-chemical Parameters

1.0 INTRODUCTION untreated sewage and industrial effluents (Bhardwaj

Pollution of a river first affects its chemical quality and
then systematically destroys the community disrupting
the delicate food web. Diverse uses of the rivers are
seriously impaired due to pollution and even the
polluters like industry suffer due to increased pollution
of the rivers. River pollution has several dimensions
and effective monitoring and control of river pollution
requires the expertise from various disciplines (Trivedi
et al 1990). Pollution of river is a global problem. In
India it is reported that about 70 per cent of the
available water is polluted. Chief source of pollution is
identified as sewage (constituting 84 to 92% of waste
water), Industrial waste water (comparing 8 to 16%).
Indian rivers are polluted due to the discharge of
----------
2005).
Indiscriminate and large scale deforestation and over
grazing in the watershed areas of river basins have
caused soil erosion resulting in considerable silting of
dams and shrinkage of river flows. This leads to the
flooding of the rivers at the time of excessive rains
(Goel 2006). Disposal of waste leads to contamination
of river and lakes chronically affecting the flora and
fauna. According to surveys carried out on selected
stretches of important rivers, it has been found that
most of the rivers are grossly polluted. Domestic
sewage of a population of about 2 millions gives rise to
numerous water-borne diseases like typhoid, cholera,
dysentery, poliomyelitis and cysticercosis, thereby

*Corresponding author- Email: srikantas@hotmail.com

1