Further insights into the role of land use in urban stormwater pollution

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the urban stormwater quality with respect to different land uses, with a view to identifying areas of critical pollution. These areas can then be prioritised for applying best management practices.Design/methodology/approach – Major land use types of the study area were mapped. Sampling sites were selected on the basis of designated land use and land cover pattern. Grab samples of runoff were manually collected from the downstream direction of the road runoff in the designated sampling sites in the respective zones during the rainfall events and analysed.Findings – The stormwater quality varies with land use pattern. In industrial and commercial zones the pollutants were often found to exceed the permissible limits as per Indian standards. The spatial variation in pollutant distribution in the stormwater was highly influenced by the surrounding land use type.Practical implications – The relationship between stormwater quality and different land uses presen...