Assessment of water quality of river Sutlej, Punjab (India)

Abstract

Sutlej River is the longest river of Punjab, India, and a major source of water supply for irrigation, drinking, washing, and bathing in the region was studied through monthly surveys in two consecutive years (November, 2009–October, 2011). In Punjab region, river Sutlej receives a large amount of effluents from various industries and city sewage drains via “Budha Nallah and East Bein” which degraded the water quality of the river at different stretches. Keeping in view these point pollution sources, four collection sites (S1–S4) were selected to assess the Sutlej River. Additionally, groundwater sites (G1–G8) were selected in the 2 km surrounding to S1–S4 to check impact on groundwater. Fifteen physicochemical parameters were studied, which provide an idea for the portability of water for irrigation and drinking purposes as per permissible limits of WHO, ICMR, and ISI standards. Pearson correlation revealed a significant positive relationship between COD and BOD with chloride, total hardness, nitrate, phosphate and negative correlation with DO and water current. The mean values of water quality index (WQI) at sites S1–S4 were 20.79, 160.37, 36.31, and 104.70, respectively, which clearly indicated very high pollution load at S2 and S4. WQI at different groundwater sites (10.67 at G1, 8.93 at G2, 89.35 at G3, 62.15 at G4, 23.55 at G5, 21.95 at G6, 59.48 at G7 and 39.92 at G8) showed pollution load to different levels. On the basis of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines, the water at sampling stations S1, G1 and G2 could be categorized as ‘A–B’, water of station at S3, G6, G5 and G8 as ‘B–C’, water at station S4 as ‘C–D’ and the water at station S2, G3, G4 and G7 as ‘D–E’. Agglomerative cluster analysis (CA) was performed for delineating and grouping the similar pollution causing areas, which produced the same results as WQI. The results indicated that these point pollution sources clearly deteriorated the water quality of river Sutlej at sites S2 and S4, which in turn affected the groundwater in the surrounding areas.