Spatio-temporal variation in the hydrochemistry of Tawa River, Central India: effect of natural and anthropogenic factors

Abstract

Tawa River is the biggest left bank tributary of the Narmada, the largest west-flowing river of the Indian peninsula. Central India enjoys a tropical climate, is highly urbanized, and the river flow is mostly controlled by monsoon; a large part of the population depend on rivers for their livelihood. Spatial and temporal variations in the hydrochemistry of the Tawa River were studied based on seasonal sampling along the course of the river and its tributaries. The study is important because not much data exist on small size rivers and the river processes spell out correctly in smaller basins. The monsoon season accounts for more than 70% of river water flow. The basin is characterized by silicate lithology; however, water chemistry is controlled by carbonate-rich soils and other weathering products of the silicate rocks, as indicated by the high (Ca + Mg)/(Na + K) ratios (>3.8). The values of the Na-normalized ratios of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and HCO₃(-) suggest that both the carbonate and silicate lithology contribute to the hydrochemistry. On average, 42% of HCO₃(-) in the Tawa River water is contributed by silicate weathering and 58% from carbonate lithology. The water remains undersaturated with respect to calcite during the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons and supersaturated during the pre-monsoon season. A significant influence of mining in the basin and other industrial units is observed in water chemical composition.

Flood Water Hydrochemistry Patterns Suggest Floodplain Sink Function for Dissolved Solids from the Songkhram Monsoon River (Thailand)

“…This difference can be attributed to the river water being greatly diluted during the monsoon season by the large amounts of rainfall, which has a low EC (Meybeck and Helmer 1989). Decreased solute concentrations during the monsoon have indeed been reported in a previous study of the Songkhram river (Satrawaha et al 2009) as well as for monsoon rivers in India (Mehto and Chakrapani 2013;Kumarasamy et al 2014;Thomas et al 2014).…”

Assessment of Surface Water Quality of Bétaré-Oya Gold Mining Area (East-Cameroon)

“…This indicating the tendency of waters to dissolve more of these mineral phases and/or suggesting that these mineral phases are less abundant in the corresponding host rock [58] [59]. However, according to [60], the IS value in the Tawa River Central India situated in the humid tropical zone varied from …”

Spatio-temporal variations in water quality, hydrochemistry and its controlling factors in a perennial river in India

“…It was found that water chemistry in the Sutlej river is mainly determined by weathering of carbonates besides silicate minerals. The ratio of (Na + + K + )/ T Z + is used to assess the contribution of cations via silicate weathering (Mehto and Chakrapani 2013;Stallard and Edmond 1987). This average ratio was 1.07 during pre-monsoon 2017, 2.02 during post-monsoon 2017, 1.60 during pre-monsoon 2018 and 1.33 during post-monsoon 2018.…”