SATYAJODHA S. KAUSHIK AND HIMANSHU G. DAWDA
Abstract
Since many decades, river waters, lakes and oceans have been misused as a sever to drain off all wastes. With increased urbanization and population, the wastes from human activities like sewage disposal, septic tank discharges etc and chemical waste disposals, animal feedlots, quaries, oilspillsetc from industries have been increasing the pollution levels of the aquatic ecosystem. Even agricultural activities including pesticides and fertilizers and accidental spills also pollute not only surface waters but also ground waters. Increased rate of Soil and water pollution leads to mangrove degradation of the area, thus increasing natural disasters i.e., frequent flooding in most of the estuarine and river areas. With regards to Mithi river of Mumbai, which originates at Powai, and then flows through many industrial, residential and hutment areas and finally bends at Mahim creek and also shows influx and out flux of water into the river at high and low tides and all three seasons. It not only works as seaâs major storm water drainage system but also as a sever carrying all the sewage waters and garbage (e.g.: Dharavi, Bail bazaar, Jarimari etc.). The riverâs bed is initially narrow at certain places but further at some places it is much wider (Bandra Kurla complex) and are also contaminated with the pollutants carried by the river. Thus Considering all the above factors a detailed study on the pollution levels of Mithi river water and its banks at CST road Kurla is done in this research by conducting soil and water analysis for certain parameters like pH, BOD, COD etc of the selected area (CST road Kurla), for all the 3 seasons.