Jammu and Kashmir

The report presents the study on the physio-chemical properties of soil for Basantar catchment in Jammu and Kashmir. Soil physio-chemical properties are basic inputs for any hydrological modeling and are important for efficient management of irrigated agriculture. The most important soil properties influencing irrigation are its infiltration characteristics and water holding capacity. Other soil properties such as soil texture, soil structure, capillary conductivity, soil profile conditions, and depth of water table are also given consideration in the management of irrigation water.

In the present study, surface and groundwater quality monitoring has been undertaken in parts of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir in order to evaluate its quality for domestic and agricultural purposes. Water sources are polluted by four kinds of substances: traditional organic waste, waste generated from industrial processes, chemical agents of fertilizers & pesticides used for crop production and silt from degraded catchment.

The report presents a sedimentation study of the Mansar lake in Udhampur district situated about 55 kms east of Jammu at an elevation of 666 m above mean sea level in the Siwalik terrain. The lake surface area is 0.59 sqkm whereas the lake basin area is 1.67 sqkm. The maximum depth of lake is 38.25 m. The lake has been developed as a tourist spot of the region owing to its natural beauty. The water is also being used for drinking and irrigation purposes.

The report presents an inventory of water bodies in the State of Jammu & Kashmir in the Western Himalayan region prepared using satellite data of IRS-1A (standard FCC, scale 1:250000) for 1988/ 99 and digital data of IRS-1C for 1998. Also, presented is a database developed with the help of Survey of India (SoI) topographic maps, which includes name and type of the water body, nearest place, district, river basin, geographical coordinates and elevation.

This report is a compilation of the status of natural resources as well as of the hydrological problems & constraints being faced in the Kandi belt of Jammu region of Jammu & Kashmir. Suitable actions and methods are recommended to tackle these problems in the study area.

The study attempts to do flood inundation and flood plain feature mapping as well as undertake river planform measurements for a part of the river reach of Satluj. The river is a part of the Indus system and faces flood during monsoon months in spite of various flood control measures that have been adopted. The vast expanse of land adjoining the river course is inundated by large floods.

The study attempts water quality monitoring of Mansar lake to detect the various water quality parameters. The lake water conditions were monitored by collecting water samples from different depths to determine the spatial and temporal variations.

The study looks at chemical characteristics of groundwater in Jammu and Kathua on the basis of thirty water samples collected from open wells during July and December, 1997. The water quality has been evaluated for irrigation and drinking purposes. The suitability of water for drinking purposes has been compared with the standard norms i.e., BIS, 1983 and WHO, 1984.

The report deals with the findings of a water quality study of Mansar lake in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. The water samples from different locations at the surface and from three zones (viz, epilimnion, metalimnion and hypolimnion) were collected and physico-analysis carried out.

The study presents detailed investigations of the chemical quality of groundwater in Jammu and Kathua districts (J & K), carried out to evaluate the suitability of water for various uses. The quality of groundwater of the area has been studied based on the physico-chemical analysis of thirty seven water samples collected from open wells between June and December, 1996.

Various parameters like pH, conductance, alkalinity, hardness, chloride, sulphate, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium have been determined for all the samples and compared with the standards to evaluate its suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes.

Irrigation water quality has been computed on the basis of Doneen’s Permeability Index and residual Sodium Carbonate. The higher values of some parameters at certain locations indicate the contamination in groundwater and make the water unsuitable for specific applications.