IMPACT OF LAND USES ON WATER QUALITY OF KUNIHAR BLOCK OF SOLAN DISTRICT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
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Date
2014
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ABSTRACT
The present investigations entitled “Impact of land uses on water quality of Kunihar block of Solan district of
Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during 2013-2014 in the Department of Environmental Science, Dr YS Parmar
University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan. Water samples were collected from surface as well as ground
water under different land uses (urban, forest and agriculture,) during different seasons (rainy, winter and summer) from
Kunihar block whereas aquatic insects were collected from surface water. At Arki pH (7.45), EC (265.04 μS/cm), TDS
(325.47 mg/l), turbidity (5.97 NTU), BOD (1.49 mg/l), COD (10.13 mg/l ),Ca (71.41 mg/l), Mg (8.06 mg/l) and Cl (3.38
mg/l) and at Darlaghat, pH (7.53), EC (370.83 μS/cm), TDS (301.81 mg/l), turbidity (7.56 NTU), BOD (1.53 mg/l),
COD (18.89 mg/l ), Ca (85.71 mg/l), Mg (7.50 mg/l) and Cl (5.63 mg/l) of surface water was maximum under urban land
use whereas NO3 at both locations ( (Arki: 4.69mg/l; Darlaghat:4.92 mg/l) was maximum under agriculture land use.
Seasonwise, at Arki pH (7.12), EC (249.94 mg/l),temperature (22.58oC), Ca (67.56 mg/l), Mg (6.99 mg/l) and Cl (3.14
mg/l) and at Darlaghat, pH (7.20), EC (346.98 μS/cm),temperature (26.46oC), BOD (1.33 mg/l), Ca (72.54 mg/l), Mg
(6.35 mg/l) and Cl (4.44 mg/l) was maximum during summer season, whereas TDS (283.00 mg/l), turbidity (4.53 NTU),
BOD (1.64 mg/l), COD (14.81 mg/l) and NO3 (3.86 mg/l) at Arki and TDS (292.79 mg/l), turbidity (6.20 NTU), COD
(17.47 mg/l) and NO3 (4.28 mg/l) at Darlaghat was maximum during rainy season. At Arki, pH (7.24), EC (228.41
μS/cm), TDS (295.21 mg/l), turbidity (4.11 mg/l), BOD (0.68 mg/l), COD (8.77mg/l), Ca (85.14 mg/l), Mg (7.50 mg/l)
and Cl (3.39 mg/l) and at Darlaghat, pH (7.29), EC (270.90 μS/cm), TDS (273.86 mg/l), turbidity (3.91 mg/l), BOD
(0.81 mg/l), COD (11.52 mg/l), Ca (86.14 mg/l), Mg (12.62 mg/l) and Cl (4.82 mg/l) of ground water was maximum
under urban land use whereas NO3 at both locations (Arki:3.50 mg/l ; Darlaghat: 3.88 mg/l) was maximum under
agriculture land use. Seasonwise at Arki, pH (6.89), EC (230.41 μS/cm),temperature (17.42oC), Ca (75.50 mg/l), Mg
(6.35 mg/l) and Cl (2.60 mg/l) and at Darlaghat, pH (6.96), EC (252.06 μS/cm),temperature (26.19oC), Ca (82.43 mg/l),
Mg (10.67 mg/l) and Cl (4.06 mg/l) of ground water was maximum during summer season, whereas TDS (303.21 mg/l),
turbidity (3.05 NTU), BOD (0.52 mg/l), COD (6.28 mg/l) and NO3 (3.35 mg/l) at Arki and TDS (263.00 mg/l), turbidity
(3.68 NTU), BOD (0.67 mg/l), COD (10.50 mg/l) and NO3 (3.40 mg/l) at Darlaghat was maximum during rainy season.
The colour of ground water varied from colourless to light brown. The odour of surface water varied between odourless
to septic whereas ground water was odour free. Water quality index of surface water was minimum (
Arki:26.13;Darlaghat: 26.72) under forest land use and maximum under urban land use (Arki: 40.00; Darlaghat: 47.82).
Maximum water quality index (Arki:28.25; Darlaghat: 34.73 ) was recorded during summer season and minimum (Arki:
18.03; Darlaghat: 29.30) during winter season. WQI of ground water was minimum under agriculture land use
(Arki:25.56; Darlaghat: 26.66) and maximum under urban land use (Arki:31.35;Darlaghat: 33.43). EPT index at Arki was
106, 101 and 102 and at Darlaghat was 88, 109 and 103 under urban, forest and agriculture land use,respectively
whereas seasonwise it was 62, 134 and 123 at Arki and 65, 128 and 127 at Darlaghat during rainy, winter and summer
season, respectively.EPT biotic index at Arki was 4.00, 4.19 and 3.66 and at Darlaghat, 4.12, 3.77 and 4.10 under urban,
forest and agriculture land use,respectively. Seasonwise, EPT biotic index at Arki and Darlaghat was 1.53, 0.91 and 1.50
and 0.94, 1.44 and 1.61 during rainy, winter and summer season, respectively. Family biotic index (FBI) at Arki and at
Darlaghat was 4.01, 4.17, 3.66 and 4.12, 3.74 and 4.08 under urban,forest and agriculture land use,respectively.
Seasonwise, FBI at Arki was 3.67, 4.49 and 3.67 and at Darlaghat was 4.33, 3.65 and 3.96 during rainy,winter and
summer, respectively.Simpson’s biodiversity index at Arki was 0.88,0.99,0.90 under urban, forest and agriculture land
use and at Darlaghat was equal (0.89)in all land uses. Simpson’s biodiversity index was 0.95, 0.96 and 0.96 at arki and
0.96, 0.95 and 0.97 at Darlaghat during rainy,winter and summer season, respectively. At Arki, maximum E.coli count (
Arki :6.78x105 cfu/ml; Darlaght:15.33x105 cfu/ml) was under urban land use and minimum under forest land use
(Arki:1.33x105 cfu/ml;Darlaghat: 2.33x105 cfu/ml).Maximum E.coli count (Arki:4.56x105 cfu/ml; Darlaghat: 10.33x105
cfu/ml) was during rainy season and minimum during winter season (Arki: 2.78x105 cfu/ml;Darlaghat:6.11x105 cfu/ml).
The Most Probable Number (MPN) for total coliform count of the surface water at Arki varied between 3.43 to 128 MPN
/100 ml during different land uses and 35.03 to 63.83 MPN/100 ml during different seasons. MPN for total coliform
count of surface water at Darlaghat varied between 7.37 to 330 MPN/100 ml under different land use and 76.87 to 155.07
MPN/100 ml during different seasons.