Surface and groundwater quality studies in Ghataprabha representative basin - A research report by National Institute of Hydrology

The study analyses the surface and groundwater quality of Ghataprabha representative basin during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. It looks at the primary impact of land use and cropping pattern on water quality using physico-chemical analysis, geo-chemical classification of groundwater samples and monitoring of groundwater quality.

Streeter-Phelp’s model is applied to understand the variation of dissolved oxygen along the course of the river from a point source. The study attempts to understand the impact of irrigation return-flow and use of pesticides, fertilizers & manures on surface and groundwater quality. The literature review offered indicates a dearth of studies on the subject for hard rock catchments and puts forward the need to do basin-wide as against area-wide studies.

The study attempts to systematically determine the variation in both surface and groundwater quality parameters as a result of various man-made changes and agricultural practices. Groundwater samples were collected from various points based on land-use and agricultural pattern. Ten micro-hydrological regions were mapped based on soil, lithology and land-use pattern. Groundwater samples representing each micro-hydrological region were sampled during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season. The study observes that –

• Both surface and groundwater in the Ghataprabha representative basin are good for drinking, domestic and irrigation purposes.
• There are indications of sulphate enrichment in groundwater due to excessive application of fertilizers, which can be attributed to high recharge capacity of the soils.
• High content of potassium is observed at Chandgad, in the vicinity of heavily cultivated agricultural lands, densely populated human and animal settlements, which show the impact of land-use and anthropogenic activity.
• From the geo-chemical classification of water, it is evident that all the samples are quite suitable for various uses. There is an enrichment of nitrate during post-monsoon season at certain locations. Furthermore, high values of sulphate to chloride ratio showed that groundwater has been affected by fertilizer use.

Download the report here: