Damodar River Research Articles

Comparative study using spectroscopic and mineralogical fingerprinting for suspended sediment source apportionment in a river–reservoir system

AbstractThe need to control soil erosion has received increasing attention, but quantitative data on the sources of suspended sediment in many river–reservoir systems is still lacking. The goal of this research was to compare the application of spectroscopic [mid‐infrared (MIR)] and mineralogical [X‐ray diffraction (XRD)] fingerprints for assessing relative sediment source contributions from different land use groups (agricultural lands, forests and human settlements) in the Konar–Damodar river–reservoir system in India. Source apportionment was estimated using partial least square (PLS) regression for spectroscopic tracers (MIR) and the Bayesian MixSIAR model for mineralogical tracers. Both methods identified differences between the pre‐ and post‐monsoon sediment contributions of forests (overall contribution bounds of ~35–43%). During monsoon seasons, both fingerprinting methods indicated agricultural land use as the primary source of suspended sediment. Although there were some temporal variations in the predicted contributions of the land use sources, the MIR‐PLS and mineralogical–MixSIAR methods produced comparable ranges. The respective variations in contributions, using MIR‐PLS and mineralogical–MixSIAR, were ~31 to 66% compared with ~36 to 61% for agricultural lands, ~21 to 43% compared with ~15 to 39% for forests and ~16 to 37% compared with ~19 to 32% for human settlements.

A robust ensemble of hybrid and bivariate statistical models for flood prediction mapping in Lower Damodar River Basin of India

This research explores flood prediction in the Lower Damodar River Basin (LDRB) using a hybrid ensemble of a Naïve Bayes Tree (NBT) and five bivariate statistical models such as Evidential Belief Function (EBF), Index of Entropy (IOE), Frequency Ratio (FR), Statistical Index (SI), and Modified Information Value (MIV). A total of 348 flood locations and 15 conditioning factors including hydrological, topographical and land cover were considered for this analysis. To ensure the precision of model predictions, a multicollinearity assessment was executed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under curve (AUC), mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), and root mean squared error (RMSE) were performed to compare and asses each of the models all. The results reveal that all models performed well in creating flood hazard maps with AUC >0.8 and RMSE <0.4. FR and EBF models demonstrated the highest predictive accuracy (AUC=0.85), followed by the IOE, SI, and MIV models. The ensemble of NBT with bivariate models shows promising results, showcasing reduced error metrics and improved accuracy for the IOE, SI, and MIV models. This study highlights the potential of ensemble models in flood hazard prediction, offering valuable insights for global flood risk management. The successful application of these data-driven models showcases their importance in forecasting flood risks, aiding decision-makers and planners in developing more effective flood mitigation strategies.

Assessing the Groundwater Quality in Urban Areas Using the DEMATEL Method

The Dhanbad area in Jharkhand, India, is a significant coal mining region located in the middle of the Damodar River basin. The geological composition of the area ranges in age from to Recent, encompassing, granites, pegmatite, and gneisses. These rocks are accompanied by bands of s and amphibolites. In this particular region, groundwater occurrence and movement are primarily restricted to semi weathered/weathered and fractured rocks. The movement of groundwater depends on various factors, including the thickness, size, extent, and openness of the weathered zone, as well as the interconnections of fractures within the rocks. Due to the dynamic nature of groundwater resources, it is susceptible to various factors that can impact its availability and quality. The expansion of irrigation activities, industrialization, and urbanization in the area can have significant implications for the groundwater resources. These activities can lead to increased water demand, contamination risks, and changes in the hydrological balance. Given the importance of groundwater as a vital resource, it becomes crucial to monitor and conserve it effectively. Monitoring techniques, such as hydrological studies, geophysical surveys, and groundwater level measurements, can provide valuable information about the status and behavior of groundwater resources. Conservation efforts may involve implementing sustainable water management practices, promoting water-use efficiency, and controlling pollution sources. By utilizing GIS and available physic-chemical data, the study seeks to generate a comprehensive water quality index map that can assist in making informed decisions regarding water resource management and protection in the Dhanbad area. This understanding can help in developing sustainable strategies to ensure the availability and quality of groundwater in areas like, where natural resources are intricately linked to human activities and industrial development. The variations in the resistivity of water-bearing weathered/fractured rocks in the Dhanbad area depend on the specific geological characteristics of the rocks and their water content. The resistivity refers to the rock's ability to resist the flow of electric current and can provide insights into the rock's porosity and permeability, which are crucial factors for groundwater movement. The depth to groundwater in the area can vary and is typically measured from below ground level. This depth is influenced by factors such as local topography, rainfall patterns, and geological conditions. The presence of active and abandoned coal mines, waste dumps, coal washeries, coking coal plants, and thermal power plants can introduce pollutants into the environment. These pollutants have the potential to contaminate groundwater, affecting its quality and usability. It is important to address these environmental concerns and prioritize the implementation of effective measures to mitigate the impact of coal mining and related activities on groundwater resources. Alternative parameters taken as Total dissolved solid, total hardness, Nitrate, ammonia nitrogen, Fluoride, Fluoride. the first ranking training is obtained with the lowest quality of compensation.

Petrography, mineral chemistry and FTIR spectral study of lateritic iron oxide concretions from the Damodar River basin, India

Petrography, mineral chemistry and FTIR spectral study of lateritic iron oxide concretions from the Damodar River basin, India

Source identification and potential risk assessment of heavy metals in Damodar River in West Bengal, India

Source identification and potential risk assessment of heavy metals in Damodar River in West Bengal, India

Nonparametric Tests for Potability of Damodar River from Small Sample

Nonparametric Tests for Potability of Damodar River from Small Sample

Environmental Deterioration of Damodar River, West Bengal

Environmental Deterioration of Damodar River, West Bengal

Law, Colonial-Capitalist Floods, and the Production of Injustices in Eastern India: Insights for Climate Adaptation

AbstractFloods are not merely ‘natural’ disasters; rather, they emerge as socio-natural phenomena shaped by political, social, and economic processes. Law plays a pivotal role in producing and sustaining these processes and contributes to the creation of unjust environments. Drawing on political ecology and environmental history, this article analyzes the role of law and its interactions with colonialism and capitalism in the Damodar river valley in Eastern India. The Damodar river valley is an intensely engineered and hazardous region, a site of multiple interventions and developmental and ecological experiments for over a century. Colonial and post-colonial legacies have left a lasting imprint on legal, policy, and institutional frameworks, establishing a path-dependent trajectory for addressing future climate change adaptation challenges. While focusing on a specific case study, the article's approach and findings have broader significance, especially in the context of climate adaptation. The central argument underscores the need to understand the political and legal dimensions of flooding, and reinforces the need for a shift beyond incremental adjustments that do not tackle the underlying structures that produce the injustices associated with floods. It highlights the importance of ‘transformative adaptation’ approaches that address the root causes of climate-related disasters, such as restructuring power relations between actors, reconfiguring governance structures, and scrutinizing ideologies that mediate how water is used and distributed.

Impact of industrial hotspots on Tamla nala and Nunia nala confluence - a tributary of the Damodar river.

Clean water is essential for drinking, household use, and agriculture. Researchers studied 39 sites near Tamla nala and Nunia nala channels in Durgapur and Asansol City (West Bengal) to assess the deterioration level of water due to industrial discharge. During the first phase out of three, the researchers conducted a spatial representation of various physicochemical parameters, such as temperature, pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Hardness (TH), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), significant anions such as chloride (Cl-), nitrate (NO3-), phosphate (PO4-3), sulfate (SO42-), cyanide (CN-1) and fluoride (F-), as well as heavy metals/metalloids such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As). As observed the parameters at various sites along the stream exceeded threshold limits majorly due to industrial discharge: highest pH, TDS, TH, EC, Cl-, SO42- at site 26; Fe at site 1, TSS, COD, CN- at site 33, 31, 2 respectively; Cd, Ni, Cu at site 19; Hg and Pb at site 3 and As at site 20. Contaminated areas were marked in red and secure areas in green. Additionally, the HMPI (Heavy metal pollution index) was estimated for eight locations to understand the impact of heavy metal pollution in the second phase of the study. An extremely high HMPI indicates heightened toxicity and health risks for both residents and outsiders. The Canadian Water Quality Index (1.0) was calculated for eight sites in the third phase based on seventeen parameters. The resulting WQI value was below 44, indicating poor water quality at the sites. Due to the poor quality and critical heavy metal toxicity, the authors recommended continuous monitoring, strict regulation enforcement, increased treatment capacity, Zero Liquid Discharge implementation, and raising awareness among residents.

Time traveling through the floodscape: assessing the spatial and temporal probability of floods and susceptibility zones in the Lower Damodar Basin.

The flood of Damodar river is a well-known fact which is used to the whole riverine society of the basin as well as to the eastern India. The study aims to estimate the spatio-temporal probability of floods and identify susceptible zones in the Lower Damodar Basin (LDB). A flood frequency analysis around 90years hydrological series is performed using the Log-Pearson Type III model. The frequency ratio model has also been applied to determine the spatial context of flood. This reveals the extent to which the LDB could be inundated in response to peak discharge conditions, especially during the monsoon season. The findings indicate that 36.64% of the LDB falls under high to very high flood susceptibility categories, revealing an increasing downstream flood vulnerability trend. Hydro-geomorphic factors substantially contribute to the susceptibility of the LDB to high magnitude floods. A significant shift in flood recurrence intervals, from biennial occurrences in the pre-dam period to decadal or vicennial occurrences in the post-dam period, is observed. Despite a reduction in high-magnitude flood incidents due to dam and barrage construction, irregular flood events persist. The effect of flood in the LDB region is considered to be either positive as well as negative in terms of wholistic sense and impact. The analytical results of this research could serve to identify flood-prone zones and guide the development of flood resilience policies, thereby promoting sustainability within the LDB floodplain.

Development of AI-based hybrid soft computing models for prediction of critical river water quality indicators.

Prediction of river water quality indicators (RWQIs) using artificial intelligence (AI)-based hybrid soft computing modeling techniques could provide essential predictions required for efficient river health planning and management. The study described the development of a novel AI-based relative weighted ensemble (AIRWE) hybrid model for predicting critical RWQIs, i.e., biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total coliform (TC). The study involved comprehensive water quality (WQ) monitoring from 30 locations along the Damodar River to establish the baseline data and delineate the WQ. The representative input features showing a strong association with BOD and TC were identified using Spearman's rank-coupled orthogonal linear transformation (SOT). The relative weighted ensemble (RWE) method was applied to determine the relative weights for base learners in the AIRWE model. The statistical analysis of the developed model revealed that it was most efficient and accurate for predicting BOD (R2, 0.97; RMSE, 0.06; MAE, 0.04) and TC (R2, 0.98; RMSE, 0.06; MAE, 0.05) over the traditional techniques. The tstat (BOD 0.02 and TC 0.47) was lesser than tcrit (1.672), confirming its unbiased predictions. The SOT technique removed the data noise and multicollinearity, whereas RWE curtailed the individual model's limitations and predicted more reliable results. The model resulted 97% accuracy with high precision (96%) in classifying the river water quality for various end uses. The study describes a novel approach for researchers, scientists, and decision-makers for modeling and predicting various environmental attributes.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of ecological, bacteriological, and overall water quality of the Damodar River, India.

Assessing river water quality is crucial for human and ecological needs because of the deterioration of the river and escalated water pollution under the threats of anthropogenic activities. In order to assess river water quality, the Damodar River water was evaluated from the perspectives of spatio-temporal dynamics of ecological (organic pollution index or OPI and eutrophication index or EI), bacteriological (coliform count and comprehensive bathing water quality index or CBWQI), and overall water quality assessments (water quality index or WQI and comprehensive pollution index or CPI). The OPI reveals that 44.66% of water samples have heavy organic pollution; however, EI depicts that almost all water samples of Damodar River have severe eutrophication, especially in the pre- and post-monsoon seasons. Moreover, the fecal coliform count and CBWQI indicate the unsuitability of river water for bathing. The overall WQI portrays that 21.56%, 33.59%, and 22.47% of water samples have heavy pollution in pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon, respectively. Moreover, 73.39% of water samples have low CPI indicating slight comprehensive pollution. This study also reveals that the pollution level in the Damodar River downstream of the Durgapur barrage is high among the other stations. The major reasons behind the severe contamination of Damodar River water are urban-industrial and agricultural effluents mixing into the river that lead to higher concentrations of BOD, DO, fecal coliform, COD, fluoride TSS, and turbidity in the river water. Thus, this study carries appreciated information on policy recommendations for the different stakeholders of the Damodar River basin including regional planners, agri-engineers, and ecological river engineers for sustainable river management.

People beyond the border in the sandbars of Damodar River: understanding the people’s management in a changing landscape, India

ABSTRACT Sandbars are narrow ridges of sand formed by the river system in Bengal delta in eastern India. Some charlands or riverbeds of the Damodar River are situated along both its banks as well as in its central channel, offering habitats for both human populations and wildlife. Throughout its history, the river has been known as ‘Sorrow of Bengal’ owing to its frequent inundations and devastating impact. Since the partition of India in 1947, numerous sandbars have been colonized at various stages. Before partition, the area consisted of vast fields covered with bushes. This paper elaborates on the living conditions of marginalized people of Bangladesh and the local settlers who have inhabited the sandbars. They face a multitude of challenges, including safety concerns during storms, a lack of access to essential amenities like water, electricity, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities, as well as transportation difficulties. Sandbars are susceptible to flooding, necessitating frequent evacuations for the residents when massive floods occur. Additionally, these riverbeds are often geographically isolated from neighbouring landmasses. Despite these challenges, both refugees and local settlers have managed to adapt to life on these transient sandbars. The research also elucidates how communities often develop unique techniques and technologies to mitigate the challenges posed by the river. Finally, this study demonstrates that assessments of vulnerability and insecurity are arbitrary and insignificant; however, immediate survival is crucial.

Risk Reduction and Recovery from Flood Hazard- A Case of Human Adjustment in Lower Damodar Basin, West Bengal

The study investigates the risk of flood hazards in the lower Damodar basin, focusing on human perception and adjustment strategies to mitigate and recover from the societal risk posed by these hazards. The river Damodar is known as ‘the sorrow of Bengal’ due to its flood ravages in the entire Damodar valley, which caused much unhappiness and distress in the lower Damodar region. In this area, the main flood-causing agents are rainfall and discharge from upland reservoirs. In the study, the annual peak flow is used to determine the flood frequency analysis. Flood inundation mapping analysis revealed that Amta and Khanakul blocks of Hooghly district are most vulnerable to maximum flood inundation during monsoon months. The damage due to floods in terms of economic loss and the probability of flood occurrences are used for assessing flood risk and the magnitude of vulnerability in the study area. The adopted structural measures in this area have not yielded sufficient results to mitigate the chronic flood problems. Therefore, some non-structural measures, particularly human adjustment strategies, are taken into consideration, like flood forecasting, alternative cropping arrangements, choices for other livelihood options, and capacity building through self-help- groups.

On an account of diversity of Aquatic and Semi Aquatic bugs from lower basin of Mundeswari river, West Bengal, India

The Mundeswari River, situated in West Bengal, serves as a tributary to the Damodar River. Its’ water plays a crucial role in both domestic and agricultural activities. However, during the monsoon season, the river poses a threat by causing floods in the Hooghly, Howrah, and East Medinipur districts. The Mundeswari River becomes a mixed blessing for the nearby villages. This study delves into the rich diversity of aquatic and semi-aquatic bugs in the lower basin of the Mundeswari River. The faunistic investigation reveals the presence of 14 species across 9 genera and 6 families, all of which are documented for the first time in this river.

Fireflies May Transform Damodar Based Banka-Siphon As Eco-Tourism Spot: Focused Ecological Foot Print Biodiversity Conservation Natural Resources Socio-Economic Management Ecosystems Improving Environmental Policy

The Damodar River (DR) based in Kanchannagar, Burdwan Town, West Bengal, India attached to Eden Canal (EC) and Banka-SiphonDam (BSD) of Banka River (BR) covering we surveyed first time covering 10-12 km sq km area, is the oldest enriched habitat of different flora- and faunal- diversity with large population densities of biological light producing insect, fireflies that attract nature lovers and tourists for their ability to make rhythmic synchronous flashing light in 45 years ago. But fireflies were decreasing gradually due to the oldest diurnal tourist spots and modern artificial lighting; coming massive tourists, picnic parties with large sound systems, killing of wild animals, cutting the trees, disturbing, catching, unethical human behaviours, and urbanization nearby badly affected ‘Nocturnal Biodiversity specially Fireflies’, and it adversely affects the environment (Water, Sanitation and Ecology) and societal problems. On the other hand, it is well known that fireflies are the most charismatic beetles with attractive bioluminescent courtship displays that have recently been swept onto the global stage of nature tourism, especially the ‘Nocturnal Natural Fireflies Eco-Tourism’. To overcome it, the main aims and objectives are to survey the densest firefly population zone with nocturnal biodiversity for the focus and establishment of the ‘Nocturnal Firefly Eco-Tourism Spot’, and provide suggestions for future tourist behaviour to minimize the impact on firefly populations with nocturnal biodiversity. All the child scientists of Kanchannagar D. N. Das High School will engage and get scope to identify the prospects and study of management of land, water and living resources promoting wildlife conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way, and can also study the ecosystem management. They observed that the highest firefly populations with nocturnal biodiversity in the ‘Banka Siphon Dam’. The main animals in the night were the foxes, grey-coloured water monitor lizards, turtles, fishing cats, civet cats, barn owls, and even migratory birds. One white-coloured fox was seen in the BS. It may be enriched by planting plans and management of water bodies and land that focus recommendations of firefly tourist sites that can enhance the visitor experience, protect natural resources, and socio-economic benefit of local communities, and help promote the conservation of wildlife biodiversity and research also improving ‘World Policy’. The perfect ecological balance of fireflies with water, land and vegetation may develop any ‘Future-SocioEconomic-Nocturnal Eco-Tourist-Spot’. So, it may tell, “Fireflies May Transform Damodar-Based Banka-Siphon As Eco-Tourism Spot Focusing Ecological Foot Print Biodiversity Conservation Natural Resources Socio-Economic Management Ecosystems Improving World Environmental Policy! And Emerging Fireflies Eco-Tourism Economies Need Much More Private Financing for Climate Transition.

Geospatial delineation of flood susceptible zones using analytical hierarchy process

Demarcation of flood-prone areas based on risk level plays a key role in flood management systems. Geospatial approach has gained much significance among the researcher working in flood risk management. This work incorporated an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information system (GIS) to delineate the flood susceptible zones of the lower Damodar River basin. Various influencing factors were initially assigned with weights with respect to their relative importance towards flood susceptibility and integrated into GIS platform by weighted overlay approach. Based on the current study area, the flood zone map was sub-classified into four zones, namely critical, high and low, and safe zone, respectively. Moreover, sensitivity analysis was also performed to evaluate the most significant factors in flood susceptibility using the exclusion of factors from the estimation of flood zone index. Sensitivity analysis showed that River distance and elevation are the most sensitive factors for evaluating flood zonation.

Advances in using mathematical optimization to manage floods with assessment of possible benefits using a case study

Abstract This paper presents the benefits of using mathematical optimization for reservoir operation based on the assumed availability of short-term runoff forecasts. The novelty is the inclusion of the SSARR hydrological routing as optimization constraints in multiple time step optimization, where the routing coefficients are adjusted dynamically as functions of the channel flows. The paper shows significant reduction of downstream peak flows in flood-prone areas even with a forecast horizon of only 2 days, and it also includes the results of testing the effects of different lengths of forecasting horizons on model results. The case study is conducted on the Damodar River Basin in the Indian State of West Bengal, where basin development started in the 1950s, with flood protection of the downstream river valley as the highest management priority, in addition to water supply and hydro power. The solution methodology and the model results presented in this paper pave the way for eventual introduction to automated management of reservoir outflows that could shape water resources industry in much the same way that auto-pilot and driverless cars are revolutionizing the transportation industry, assuming that runoff forecasting capabilities continue to improve.

Assessment of long-term variability in rainfall trends over Damodar River Basin, India

Assessment of long-term variability in rainfall trends over Damodar River Basin, India

Impact of Water Pollution on Fish Physiology - A Study

The freshwater air-breathing teleost, Channa punctatus were exposed to mercuric chloride (0.15 ppm) and cadmium chloride (35.5 ppm) for 1, 2, 7, 15 and 30 days so as to determine short and long-term effects of sub-lethal doses of these industrial pollutants on different haematological parameters. The selection of pollutants and their concentrations was based on the real data, in relation to the degree of water pollution of Damodar River. Blood samples were collected from the fishes exposed to various exposure periods for each pollutant and the blood glucose, haemoglobin content, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL- cholesterol, VLDL- cholesterol, triglycerides, total RBC and WBC counts were measured. The blood glucose, haemoglobin content, total RBC and WBC counts progressively decreased. Blood cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL- cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were also depleted. Linear regression analysis with appreciable values of R2 and tratios revealed that the values of different blood parameters were reduced radically with the progress of days, except haemoglobin, signifying negative impact of pollutant of HgCl2. Strong correlation between different blood parameters calls for that adverse variations. Histopathological changes in the hepatopancreas induced by the heavy metals like mercuric chloride and cadmium chloride include degeneration of hepatic cells, clumping of cytoplasmic materials, displacement of nucleus towards the periphery, derangement of the pancreatic acini and coagulation of blood in the sinusoids. Analysis of experimental data suggests the depletion of energy resources and disturbance of the metabolic pathway as indicated by the adverse effects on haematological parameters and histopathological lesions in the haepatopancreas.