Selected freshwater fish species for assessing the water quality of the lower catchment of the Kelani River, Sri Lanka

Narangoda, Chandima; Dangalle, C. D.; Amarathunga, A.A.D.

doi:10.1007/s10661-022-10319-x

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 47 publications

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“…One of the primary causes of Sri Lanka's rapidly declining water quality is rapid and unmitigated industrialization [49][50][51]. This can be clearly seen from the downstream waters of the Kelani River, which is one of the most important rivers in Sri Lanka [52,53]. Sri Lanka has a rich radial river network; however, improper management of water resources has caused some water quality issues in the recent past.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Simplified Equation for Calculating the Water Quality Index (WQI), Kalu River, Sri Lanka

Siriwardhana,

Jayaneththi,

Herath

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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The water supply system plays a major role in the community. The water source is carefully selected based on quality, quantity, and reliability. The quality of water at its sources is continuously deteriorating due to various anthropogenic activities and is a major concern to public health as well. The Kalu River is one of the major water resources in Sri Lanka that supplies potable water to the Kalutara district (a highly populated area) and Rathnapura district. But, there has been no significant research or investigation to examine anthropogenic activities in the river. Due to this, it is difficult to find any proper study related to the overall water quality in the Kalu River. Therefore, this study covers a crucial part related to the water quality of the Kalu River. The spatiotemporal variation of river water quality is highly important not only to processing any treatment activities but also to implementing policy decisions. In this context, water quality management is a global concern as countries strive to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Poor water quality can have severe consequences on human health, ecosystems, and economies. Contaminated water sources pose risks of waterborne diseases, reduced agricultural productivity, and ecological imbalances. Hence, assessing and improving water quality is crucial for achieving sustainable development worldwide. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of spatiotemporal analysis of the water quality of the Kalu River using the water quality data of eight locations for 6 years from 2017 to 2023. Nine water quality parameters, including the pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, total nitrate, total phosphate, total sulfate, total chlorine, and hardness, were used to develop a simple equation to investigate the water quality index (WQI) of the river. Higher WQI values were not recorded near the famous Kalutara Bridge throughout the years, even though the area is highly urbanized and toured due to religious importance. Overall, the water quality of the river can be considered acceptable based on the results of the WQI. The country lockdowns due to COVID-19 might have impacted the results in 2020; this can be clearly seen with the variation of the annual WQI average, as it clearly indicates decreased levels of the WQI in the years 2020 and 2021, and again, the rise of the WQI level in 2022, as this time period corresponds to the lockdown season and relaxation of the lockdown season in the country. Somehow, for most cases in the Kalu River, the WQI level is well below 25, which can be considered acceptable and suitable for human purposes. But, it may need some attention towards the areas to find possible reasons that are not in the range. Nevertheless, the results suggest the importance of continuous water quality monitoring in the Kalu River.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Simplified Equation for Calculating the Water Quality Index (WQI), Kalu River, Sri Lanka

Siriwardhana,

Jayaneththi,

Herath

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Evaluation of water quality in the upper and lower catchments of the Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka

Narangoda

Amarathunga

Dangalle

2023

Water Practice and Technology

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Kelani River is the principal consumable water source for 80% of the population in the Colombo district and an important ecosystem complex for the freshwater fish biota of Sri Lanka. However, it is the most polluted river in the country. The present study was conducted to determine the water quality parameters and pollution of the upper and lower catchments of the river and select the most suitable parameters for predicting the pollution of each catchment. Thirteen locations of each catchment were selected for the study, and 14 water quality parameters were recorded by standard techniques. Measurements were compared with the standard values permissible for drinking purposes and aquatic life and subjected to principal component analysis. The study revealed that the most polluted catchment of the Kelani River was the lower catchment, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and water pH were selected as the most suitable parameters to predict the pollution levels of the lower catchment. The nitrate concentration and COD were selected as the most suitable water quality parameters to predict the pollution of the upper catchment. The present study indicates an accelerating trend in water pollution of the Kelani River when compared with studies conducted two decades ago.

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Selected freshwater fish species for assessing the water quality of the lower catchment of the Kelani River, Sri Lanka

Cited by 2 publications

References 47 publications

A Simplified Equation for Calculating the Water Quality Index (WQI), Kalu River, Sri Lanka

A Simplified Equation for Calculating the Water Quality Index (WQI), Kalu River, Sri Lanka

Evaluation of water quality in the upper and lower catchments of the Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka

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