Assessment of Water Quality Deterioration in Sacred Ponds of Varanasi: Impact of Urbanization, and Pollution

Year : 2024 | Volume :11 | Issue : 02 | Page : 30-37
By

Mandakini Gupta,

Adeeti Rai,

AnjaliYadav,

Ritu Singh,

Rishi Sahu,

Samta Singh,

  1. Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Sunbeam Women’s College, Varuna, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
  2. Student, Department of Botany, Sunbeam Women’s College, Varuna, Varanasi,, Uttar Pradesh, India
  3. Student, Department of Chemistry, Sunbeam Women’s College, Varuna, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh,
  4. Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Sunbeam Women’s College, Varuna, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh,
  5. Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Sunbeam Women’s College, Varuna, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh,
  6. Research Scholar, Department of Chemistry, K.S. Saket P.G. College, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh,

Abstract

Water scarcity, pollution, political unrest, and population growth have made it imperative to manage water resources, including surface water, responsibly in the twenty-first century. The ponds deteriorate due to development, urbanization, and the burden of many polluting sources. Varanasi had roughly 110 pounds and kunds in the 1980s; today, there are only 56. The physical and chemical quality parameters of five significant sacred ponds that have existed in Varanasi from ancient times are examined in this paper during the academic year 2012–2013. The primary water quality indicators that were looked at were temperature, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), acidity, hardness, nitrate, phosphate, dissolved oxygen (DO), and biochemistry. The findings of the experiment indicate that the levels of nitrate (52 mg/L), BOD (2.5 mg/L), TDS (2420 mg/L), and phosphate (7.5 mg/L) were significantly higher than the allowable limit of the water quality standard for drinking and irrigation (BIS, IS-10500, FAO). Out of the five ponds, the water quality at the Durga Kund, Lahartara, and Adityanagar sites is unacceptable, particularly in terms of human health, biotic life, and the ecosystem as a whole. The investigation of the catchment region to determine the primary cause of the decline in the quality of the water in these ponds has shown a number of ritualistic practices, municipal wastewater, washing discharge of temple effluents, and animal wastes.

Keywords: Water quality, sacred ponds, Varanasi, pollution, nitrate levels, urbanization impacts

[This article belongs to Journal of Water Pollution & Purification Research (jowppr)]

How to cite this article:
Mandakini Gupta, Adeeti Rai, AnjaliYadav, Ritu Singh, Rishi Sahu, Samta Singh. Assessment of Water Quality Deterioration in Sacred Ponds of Varanasi: Impact of Urbanization, and Pollution. Journal of Water Pollution & Purification Research. 2024; 11(02):30-37.
How to cite this URL:
Mandakini Gupta, Adeeti Rai, AnjaliYadav, Ritu Singh, Rishi Sahu, Samta Singh. Assessment of Water Quality Deterioration in Sacred Ponds of Varanasi: Impact of Urbanization, and Pollution. Journal of Water Pollution & Purification Research. 2024; 11(02):30-37. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jowppr/article=2024/view=177248

References

  1. Mahananda M, Mohanty BP, Behera NR. Physico-chemical analysis of surface and ground water of Bargarh district, Orissa, India. Int J Res Rev Appl Sci. 2010;2:284–95.
  2. Arya S, Kumar V, Raikwa M, Dhaka A. Physicochemical analysis of selected surface water samples of Laxmi Tal (pond) in Jhansi city, UP, Bundelkhand region, Central India. J Exp Sci. 2011;2(8): 1–6.
  3. Pal A, Sinha DC, Rastogi N. Gerris spinolae Lethierry and Severin (Hemiptera: Gerridae) and Brachydeutera longipes Hendel (Diptera: Ephydridae): two effective insect bioindicators to monitor pollution in some tropical freshwater ponds under anthropogenic stress. Psyche. 2012;2012:818490.
  4. Chaurasia M, Pandey GC. Study of physico-chemical characteristics of some water ponds of Ayodhya-Faizabad. J Environ Biol. 2007;27:1019–23.
  5. Prasanna MB, Ranjan PC. Physico-chemical properties of water collected from Dhamra estuary. Int J Environ Sci. 2010;1:334–42.
  6. Gupta AK, Mishra K, Kumar P, Singh C, Srivastava S. Impact of religious activities on the water characteristics of prominent ponds at Varanasi (U.P.), India. Plant Arch. 2011;11(1):297–300.
  7. Chaturvedi V, Kumar A. Diversity of culturable sodium dodecyl sulfate degrading bacteria isolated from detergent contaminated ponds in Varanasi, India. Int Biodeterior Biodegrad. 2011;65:961–71. DOI: 10.1016/j.ibiod.2011.07.005.
  8. Sharma KK, Shvetambri S, Verma P, Sharma S. Physico-chemical assessment of three freshwater ponds of Jammu (J&K). Curr World Environ. 2009;4:367–73. DOI: 10.12944/CWE.4.2.15.
  9. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. 21st ed. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association/American Water Works Association/Water Environment Federation; 2005.
  10. Rim-Rukeh A. Physico-chemical and biological characteristics of stagnant surface water bodies (ponds and lakes) used for drinking and domestic purposes in Niger Delta, Nigeria. J Environ Protect. 2013;4:920–8. DOI: 10.4236/jep.2013.49106.
  11. Gopalkrushna HM. Determination of physico-chemical parameters of surface water samples in and around Akot city. Int J Res Chem Environ. 2011;1(2):183–7.
  12. Pathak H. Assessment of physico-chemical quality of groundwater by multivariate analysis in some populated villages nearby Sagar City, MP, India. J Environ Anal Toxicol. 2012;2:2161–0525. DOI: 10.4172/2161-0525.1000144.
  13. Akan JC, Abdulrahman FI, Dimari GA, Ogugbuaja VO. Physicochemical determination of pollutants in wastewater and vegetable samples along the Jakara wastewater channel in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria. Eur J Sci Res. 2008;23:122–33.
  14. Bhat MM, Narain K, Shukla RN, Yunus M. Apportionment of pollution loads arising from catchments in pond water bodies. Adv Appl Sci Res. 2013;4:436–41.
  15. Janardhana Raju N, Ram P, Dey S. Groundwater quality in the lower Varuna river basin, Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh. J Geol Soc India. 2009;73:178–92. DOI: 10.1007/s12594-009-0074-0.
  16. Janardhana Raju N, Shukla UK, Ram P. Hydrogeochemistry for the assessment of groundwater quality in Varanasi: A fast-urbanizing center in Uttar Pradesh, India. Environ Monit Assess. 2011;173:279–300. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-010-1387-6.
  17. Mehta P. Alteration in water quality parameters and consequential impacts due to festival waste in Jodhpur. Int J Sci Eng Technol. 2013;17:1166–76.
  18. Soni RN, Bhatt SA. Periodical ecological study of an urban pond near Vadodara, Gujarat, India. In: Proceedings of the Taal; 2007. p. 1591–6.
  19. Shyamala R, Shanthi M, Lalitha P. Physicochemical analysis of borewell water samples of Telungupalayam area in Coimbatore district, Tamilnadu, India. J Chem. 2008;5:924–9. DOI: 10.1155/2008/152383.
Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 11
Issue 02
Received 24/08/2024
Accepted 11/09/2024
Published 07/10/2024
Views: 11

Check Our other Platform for Workshops in the field of AI, Biotechnology & Nanotechnology.
Learn more
Check Out Platform for Webinars in the field of AI, Biotech. & Nanotech.
Learn more