Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

ASSESSMENT OF POND WATER QUALITY FOR IRRIGATION AND BATHING PURPOSES IN THE RURAL AREAS AROUND ANGUL-TALCHER INDUSTRIAL ZONE, ORISSA

J.R. Dash, P.C. Dash and H.K. Patra

Abstract

A study was undertaken to assess the quality of pond water in rural areas around Angul-Talcher Industrial Zone, Orissa for irrigation and bathing purposes. As many as nineteen physic-chemical parameters such as pH, turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), Electrical Conductivity (EC), dissolved orygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), total hardness (TH), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), Potasium (K), alkalinity (Alk), chloride (Cl), fluoride (F), nitrate (NO3), Sulphate (SO4) Phosphate (PO4) and hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) and two bacteriological parameters : total coliform (TC) and faecal coliform (FC) were analysed in alternate months from July 2001 to May 2003. It is observed that the values of all other physico-chemical parameters appeared normal within the prescribed limit for irrigation and bathing (ISI-1982) except for fluoride, BOD, and Cr6+ which were found at marginally higher levels above the recommended limit. However the bacteriological quality of all waters under study were found bad and unfit for out-door bathing.