IMPACT OF POLLUTED RIVER KALI (EAST) ON GROUNDWATER OF MEERUT

Abstract

Now-a-days the groundwater quality is continuously being degraded due to the percolation of polluted water from the wastewater drains, polluted rivers and ponds. As a result its quality has not remained potable in many parts of the country. The present thesis is also an attempt to study the efflc1 of polluted water body (river) on the qua/it)' o/groundwater abstracted through shallow and deep hand pumps placed in the different villages along the banks of River Kali(East). To assess the impact of the highly polluted Kali River, physic-chemical characterization has been performed on different groundwater samples collected from hand pumps and tube wells from 7 villages located at different distances from the pollution source. Also the variation of monsoon on quality of surface and groundwater has been studied. It is concluded that the worst affected water source are the private hand pumps in the village like iai Rheem Nagar & .lalalpur which are located closest to the River Kali, shows values well above the maximum acceptable limits for nearly all parameters for both seasons. Unfortunately, deeper govt. hand pumps were also found violating the permissible limits for some of the parameters. Only very deep government tube wells (upto 120 in) had values within stipulated range, indicating that groundwater aquilr contamination is extreme nearer to the surface of ground. Therefore it is likely that these shallow private hand pumps must he abandoned as they are discharging water unfit for human consumption