Assessment of the impact of flood on groundwater hydrochemistry and its suitability for drinking and irrigation in the River Periyar Lower Basin, India

Kumar

Krishnan

et al. 2022

CLEAN Soil Air Water

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Based on the detailed geochemical studies of 184 soil samples from Periyar River Basin (PRB), a tropical monsoon dominated river basin (5398 km2) in the southern western Ghats (WGs) of India, a baseline reference data is established. The soils are mildly acidic with sandy loam and silt loam facies in non‐monsoon to sandy loam and sandy clay loam in monsoon. The mean metal concentrations follow the upper continental crust and world shale values. The Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) shows unpolluted to moderately polluted category, except for Cu, Zn, and Ba, while Enrichment Factor (EF) indicates no to minor enrichment for all elements. Contamination factor (Cf) indicates low to considerable contamination for V, Rb, Sr, Ni, and low to very high contamination for Cu, Zn, and Ba. Three significant components are extracted by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), explaining 78.09% and 74.10% of the total variance for monsoon and non‐monsoon seasons. Ti, Al, Fe, Ca, Na, K, V, Cr, Ni, Sr, and Ba exhibited common source of origin while anthropogenic origin is identified for Zn and Cu. The study will provide valuable information into the pedological characteristics of WGs river basins.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishment of Baseline Reference Geochemical Values in Tropical Soils of Western Ghats: Assessment of Periyar Basin with Special Reference to Contaminant Geochemistry

Kumar

Krishnan

et al. 2022

CLEAN Soil Air Water

Self Cite

“…Numerous rivers originate in this water tower system. Periyar is the longest river in Kerala state and serves as the “lifeline of Kerala” providing water for domestic and agricultural activities (Krishnakumar et al 2022 ). The river originates from Sivagiri hills in WGs and debouches into the Arabian Sea traveling a distance of 244 km 2 passing through 3 districts (Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Idukki), 88 villages, 183 sub-watersheds, encompassing highland, midland and lowland terrains covering a watershed area of 5398 sq km.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The river originates from Sivagiri hills in WGs and debouches into the Arabian Sea traveling a distance of 244 km 2 passing through 3 districts (Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Idukki), 88 villages, 183 sub-watersheds, encompassing highland, midland and lowland terrains covering a watershed area of 5398 sq km. During 2018, the low-lying areas of this river were severely affected due to floods popularly known as the “2018 Kerala floods” due to extreme rainfall (164% > annual average rainfall) (Krishnakumar et al 2022 ; Sudheer et al 2019 ; Kondapalli et al 2019 ; Hunt and Menon 2020 ) as a consequence of global climate change phenomenon. Sixty thousand hectares of agricultural land have been destroyed in the state, and more than 220,000 people were displaced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of COVID-19 lockdown on river water quality and assessment of environmental health in an industrialized belt of southern Western Ghats, India

Aditya

AnoopKrishnan

2023

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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The COVID-19 pandemic and sudden lockdown have severely hampered the country’s economic growth and socio-cultural activities while imparting a positive effect on the overall fitness of the environment especially air and water resources. Increased urbanization and rapid industrialization have led to rising pollution and deterioration of rivers and associated sectors such as agriculture, domestic and commercial needs. However, various available studies in different parts of the country indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the entire ecosystem. But it is noted that studies are lacking in the southern Western Ghats region of India. Therefore, the present study attempts to investigate how the continuous lockdowns affect the River Water Quality (RWQ) during lockdown (October 2020) and post-lockdown (January 2021) periods in the lower catchments (Eloor-Edayar industrialized belt) of Periyar river, Kerala state, South India. A total of thirty samples (15 samples each) were analyzed based on drinking water quality, irrigational suitability, and multivariate statistical methods to evaluate the physical and chemical status of RWQ. The results of the Water Quality Index (WQI) for assessing the drinking water suitability showed a total of 93% of samples in the excellent and good category during the lockdown, while only 47% of samples were found fit for drinking during the post-lockdown period. Irrigational suitability indices like Mg hazard, KR, PI, SAR, and Wilcox diagram revealed lockdown period samples as more suitable for irrigational activities compared to post-lockdown samples with site-specific changes. Spearman rank correlation analysis indicated EC and TDS with a strong positive correlation to Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Na + , K + , TH, SO 4 2− , and Cl − during both periods as well as strong positive correlations within the alkaline earth elements (Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ ) and alkalis (Na + and K + ). Three significant components were extracted from principal component analysis (PCA), explaining 88.89% and 96.03% of the total variance for lockdown and post-lockdown periods, respectively. Variables like DO, BOD, Ca 2+ , NO 3 − , and Cl − remained in the same component loading during both periods elucidating their natural origin in the basin. The results of health risk assessment based on US EPA represented hazard quotient and hazard index values below the acceptable limit signifying no potential noncarcinogenic risk via oral exposure except As, suggesting children as more vulnerable to the negative effects than adults. Furthermore, this study also shows rejuvenation of river health during lockdown offers ample scope to policymakers, administrators and environmentalists for deriving appropriate plans...

“…Anthropogenic influences in the form of domestic liquid wastes, chemical fertilizers, and return‐flows from agricultural fields, on the other hand, impair the pristine nature of the groundwater system (Subba Rao & Surya Rao, 2010). A rise in temperature and low rainfall, as an aftermath of climate change, lead to depleting the quantity of groundwater due to the changes in percolation, volume, and extent (Karunanidhi et al., 2020; Krishnakumar et al., 2022; Subba Rao, 2017). Approximately 50% of global potable water supply is from groundwater, with an estimated 2.5 billion consumers daily.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of deep aquifer groundwater quality in a geographically unique climatic region of Southern Western Ghats, India using water quality indices

Kannan

Environmental Quality Mgmt

Joseph

et al. 2022

Water quality index (WQI) models are generally used in hydrochemical studies to simplify complex data into single values to reflect the overall quality. In this study, deep groundwater quality in the Chittur and Palakkad Taluks of the Bharathapuzha river basin of Kerala, India, was assessed by employing the WQI method developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). The assessment of overall water quality is indispensable due to the specific characteristics of the study area, such as geography, climate, over‐drafting, and prevalent agricultural practices. Forty representative samples were collected from the study area for monsoon (MON) and pre‐monsoon (PRM) seasons. The results showed a general increase of contents from MON to PRM. The major cations were spread in the order Ca2+>Na+>Mg2+>K+ and the anions HCO3−>Cl−>CO32− based on their relative abundance. Among various parameters analysed, alkalinity and bicarbonate levels during MON were comparatively high, which is indicative of carbonate weathering, and 90% of the samples failed to meet the World Health Organization (WHO, 2017)/Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS, 2012) drinking water guidelines. The CCME WQI analysis revealed that nearly 50% of the samples during each season represented good and excellent categories. The samples in the poor category comprised 10% in MON and 15% in PRM. The overall WQI exhibited 15% of poor category samples as well. The spatial depiction of CCME WQI classes helped to expose zones of degraded quality in the centre to eastward parts. The spatial and temporal variations of CCME WQI classes and different physicochemical attributes indicated the influence of common factors attributing to the deep groundwater quality. The study also revealed inland salinity at Kolluparamba and Peruvamba stations, where agricultural activities were rampant with poor surface water irrigation.