THE EFFECT ON WATER OF TUN'IA RIVER DUE TO POLLUTION OF THE INDUSTRIALIZATION AND URBANIZATION

Abstract

The Tunia river is a tributary of the Champamati river in the Bongaigaon district of Assam. The water of the Tunia river has gradually deteriorated due to industrialization and urbanization of Bongaigaon town. Various types of effluents are discharged into the Tunia river from the refinery and petrochemical units, railways, tea estate, carbon industries, hospitals, hotels and restaurants, automobile repair units, and service centres alongwith other tertiary industrial units. The river also receives the sewage water from the Railway colony, New Bongaigaon railway station and Bongaigaon town. All discharging effluents and sewage to the Tunia river ultimately go to the river Brahmaputra through the Champamati river. The water quality of the Tunia river is deteriorating day by day due to discharging of effluents from the aforesaid industrial units and sewage water from the Railway colony and Bongaigaon municipal area. As a result, fish and other aquatic fauna are likely to disappear in the said river system. To study the pollution level of Tunia river, nine numbers of sampling stations are selected along the stretch of the Tunia river and one at the Champamati river.