Water pollution of Sabarmati River—a Harbinger to potential disaster

Abstract

River Sabarmati is one of the biggest and major river of Gujarat that runs through two major cities of Gujarat, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad and finally meets the Gulf of Khambhat (GoK) in the Arabian Sea. A study was conducted to evaluate the water quality of this river, as it could possibly be one of the major sources for filling up Kalpasar, the proposed man-made freshwater reservoir supposed to be the biggest one in the world. A total of nine sampling stations were established covering 163 km stretch of the river from upstream of Gandhinagar city to Vataman near Sabarmati estuary. Physicochemical (temprature, pH, salinity, chloride, total dissolved solids, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, phenol, and petroleum hydrocarbons), biological (phytoplankton), and microbiological (total and selective bacterial count) analyses indicated that the river stretch from Ahmedabad-Vasana barriage to Vataman was highly polluted due to perennial waste discharges mainly from municipal drainage and industries. An implementation of sustainable management plan with proper treatment of both municipal and industrial effluents is essential to prevent further deterioration of the water quality of this river.

Phytoplankton diversity in Digboi oil refinery effluent receiving stream of Assam, India

“…Phytoplankton abundance is an important indicator of water pollution (Haldar et al 2014). It is regulated by physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the water body (Goldman and Horne 1983).…”

COVID-19 and its impact on environment: Improved pollution levels during the lockdown period – A case from Ahmedabad, India

“… Kumar et al (2013) indicated that heavy metal concentration and water pollution gradually increased from upstream to downstream in the Sabarmati River. Haldar et al (2014) calculated the turbidity value of 3.77 NTU at Sabarmati Narmada crossing-point, and Patel et al (2020) assessed the in-situ water quality of Sabarmati River and evaluated that the turbidity values are below 20 NTU. Earlier studies (e.g., Mohd Hasmadi and Norsaliza, 2010 and Papoutsa et al, 2014 ) showed that using a single band for Turbidity estimation can provide a robust algorithm if the band is chosen appropriately.…”

“…1 ), the largest city in the state of Gujarat (India), and currently a hotspot for COVID-19 patients. The water quality of Sabarmati is graded moderate to poor and the river's self-purification capability has degraded in recent years ( Haldar et al, 2014 ). Excessive anthropogenic activities, discharge of industrial wastage, illegal sewage release, and exposed river sites are some of the main causes of deterioration of Sabarmati water quality ( Shah and Joshi, 2017 ).…”

Exploring the Effects of Different Types of Surfactants on Zebrafish Embryos and Larvae

“…Water pollution is a major threat to the global ecosystem. The sewage from domestic washing, agriculture, and industry endangers the aquatic ecosystem and public health, and water pollution has aroused considerable public attention around the world in recent decades 1 2 . Surfactants have been successfully utilised in wetting, emulsification, solubilisation, sterilisation and detergency due to their physicochemical characteristics 3 4 5 6 .…”