Assessment of Hydro Chemical Characteristics of River Damodar

Assessment of hydrochemical characteristics of the river system is very important for water resources protection and sustainable utilization. The objective of this study was to examine the water quality status through using several physicochemical parameters and to evaluate the hydro-chemical characteristics of river Damodar to access its implication on water quality. Water samples were collected from 14 sampling stations along the river Damodar in premonsoon and monsoon season and analyzed using standard methods. The concentrations of EC, TDS, DO and SO42– ranged from 210–410, 123–254, 5.103–7.694 and 18.628–37.485 mg L–1 with an overall mean of 336, 204, 6.399 and 25.842 mg L–1 respectively in premonsoon season. Whereas the concentrations of EC, TDS, DO and SO42– ranged from 200–370, 122–221, 5.579–7.862 and 14.451–27.275 mg L–1 with an overall mean of 289, 171.4, 6.766 and 20.053 mg L–1 respectively in monsoon season. Most of the analyzed parameters showed elevated concentrations during premonsoon season, while least concentrations were observed during monsoon season. However, the monsoon values of phosphate in the downstream of the study area were increased, which may be due to the surface runoff from the surrounding agricultural fields. The concentration of SO42–, Cl– along with TDS were higher in some sites of the study area may be due the disposal of solid waste along with wastewater from industrial sites. Continuous assessment of river water quality on routine basis is imperative and a sustainable management is required at the industrialized area.