Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Sediments in the Downstream of Kathajodi River, Odisha, India S

5524Trends in Biosciences 8(20), Print : ISSN 0974-8431,Trends 5524-5528, in Biosciences 2015 8 (20), 2015 Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Sediments in the Downstream of Kathajodi River, Odisha, India S. R. BARIK1, P.J. MISHRA2, A. K. NAYAK3 AND *S.ROUT4 1College of Forestry, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India-751003 2AICRP on Agroforestry, College of Forestry, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India-751003 3Division of Crop production, Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha, India-753006 4School of Forestry & Environment, Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture Technology & Sciences, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India-211007 *email:[email protected] ABSTRACT the primary lithogenic source of heavy metals. Heavy metals discharged into the aquatic bodies In this research paper physico-chemical analysis of persist for long time and accumulate along the food sediments in the downstream of Kathajodi river, Odisha were studied. The parameters studied were chain. Metals present in the environment in minute pH, EC dSm-1, O.C., N, P, K and the heavy metal i.e. quantities become part of various food chains Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Fe, Mn. pH of sediments in all sites through biomagnifications and their concentration of river bed of Kathajodi are acidic and the dominance increases to such a level that may prove to be toxic of heavy metals follows a decreasing order of to both humans and other living organisms. Fe>Mn>Zn>Pb>Ni>Cd. The present study shows the Sediments are ecologically important components heavy metal in sediments in the river Kathajodi may of the aquatic habitat and are also a reservoir of be highly harmful to the flora and fauna. the contaminants, which play a significant role in maintaining the trophic status of any water body Key Words Heavy metal, physico-chemical, (Golterman, 1967; Singh et al., 1997). Depending sediments. upon the limnological condition, the sediment can act both as a source, as well as sink for the nutrients Environment is a complex natural resource and other elements (Thoronton et al., 1975). Study system that has originated from millenniums of of sediments plays an important role as they have evolutionary process during which all ecosystems a long residence time. River sediments, therefore, and forms of life have developed. Twentieth century are important sources for the assessment of man- particularly has witnessed man’s dominance over made contamination in rivers. Singh et al., 2002 environment. In recent years, rapid economic and also reported that highly polluted sediments are industrial growth intensified environmental adversely affecting the ecological functioning of pollution. One of the consequences of the escalating rivers due to heavy metal mobilization from urban industrial activity is the growing accumulation of areas in to biosphere. surface sediment samples recalcitrant elements in natural ecosystems; from river bed from river bank were collected particularly the accumulation of heavy metals in during post monsoon period in the month of aquatic ecosystem. It has become a problem of December, 2011 and laboratory analysis followed great concern throughout the world as these metals during January and February, 2012. River Kathajodi are indestructible and have toxic effect on living in the Cuttack urban area is significant distributaries organisms when they exceeds critical of river Mahanadi. The exponential growth of concentration limit (Macfarlane and Burchet, 2000). Cuttack on the left side of Kathajodi river has led Increase in population, urbanization, industrialisation to severe water pollution in Kathojodi river. Water and agricultural practices have further aggravated coming from upper stream of river Mahanadi also the situation (Giguere et al., 2004). Heavy metals carries sediments containing heavy metals due to are of particular concern due to their environmental its geogenic as well as anthropogenic origin. persistence, biogeochemical recycling and Thus the heavy metal pollutants accumulated ecological risk. Chemical leaching of bed rocks, on the sediments of river bank in the process find water drainage basins and runoff from banks are its way to food chain through the crop, vegetations BARIK et al., Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Sediments in the Downstream of Kathajodi River, Odisha, India 5525 and fauna. Keeping in view the above facts, an frequently flooded by rain and flood water. The attempt has been made for the, physico-chemical surface elevation of the study area varies from 19 studies of sediments in the downstream of Kathajodi to 20m above mean sea level at the centre and from River and investigates the present status. 24m on the south to 26m on the north. The soil beneath the city is composed of unconsolidated MATERIALS AND METHODS alluvium up to depth of 120m in alternating Study area sequences of sand, silt and clay. These materials reside above Gondwana sedimentary rocks of The Cuttack city lies on the east coast of India Archean crystallines (Mahalik, 1992). The depth in the state of Odisha between Latitude: 20°30' N of the water table changes with the season and and Longitude: 85°49' 60'’ E. The river Mahanadi during pre-monsoon it is 4 to 6m below ground and its distributary Kathajodi surrounded the city level and 0 to 2m during post- monsoon (CGWB- forming a delta on which the city Cuttack is situated 1995). The Cuttack city is situated on the N-E side (Figure.1). The basin displays dendritic to sub of this river Kathajodi, which receives the sewage dendritic and rarely rectangular and trellises of the city whereas plantation and agricultural drainage patterns. At the downstream of activities are intense on the other side of the river. Khannagar near Urali village, the river Kathajodi bifurcated and after few kilometers again joined Climate creating an island namely Bayalishmauja. The right The city of Cuttack enjoys a subtropical, side flow of river Kathajodi is called as Serua river monsoon climate with three distinct seasons, i.e. in some area and after the joining of two flows the summer, rainy and winter. The summer extends river is again named as river Devi. The width of from March to June, the rainy season from June river Kathajodi varies from a few hundred meters to October and the winter season continues from to two kilometers and is elongated in west to east November to February. The average annual rainfall direction. The land surface slopes to the centro- is 154 cm with 74 rainy days and about 85% of the axial zone both from the south and north and also annual rainfall is received from south-west has a low regional gradient to the east. As the city monsoons in rainy season and the maximum is deltaic and being situated between the two rivers, precipitation occurs in July and August. Cyclonic low-lying areas are abundant and these areas are Fig. 1. Location of the Study Area 5526 Trends in Biosciences 8 (20), 2015 weather has been a common phenomenon in the to provide good area coverage of the background study area as it is situated on the east coast of India. and anthropogenic input values. The sampling The summer is hot and day time temperature stations were geo-located using geographical reaches 45°C with a monthly mean of 39.2°C. positioning system (GPS) to ensure consistency. Winter nights reach 8°C with a monthly mean Surface sediment samples (n=5) were collected temperature of 22.0°C. The estimated monthly from top 2 cm along the river bed during post mean combine evaporation and evapotranspiration monsoon period in the month of December and of the study area is 17.7cm (Das et al., 2002). processed for laboratory analysis. Sampling Analysis of sediment Ten different sampling stations were selected pH was measured by a pH meter and EC between Naraj barrage to Koma Shasana village of was measured by conductivity bridge Jagatsinghpur district namely Naraj, Arilo, CDA, (Jackson, 1973) . Organic carbon of sediment Bidyadharpur, Brahmanigaon, Khannagar, Urali, was determined by Walkley and Black titration Mirjeipur, Mattagajapur and Komashasan and were method (Black, 1965), available N by alkaline localized exactly by GPS locator (Figure. 1 and KMnO4 method (Subhiah and Asija, 1956), Table. 1) and the sampling location of river bed available P by Olsen’s extractant and available K by were designated as R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, ammonium acetate extractant methods (Jackson, R8, R9 and R10. Sampling stations were chosen 1973). Table 1. Description of the study area Sl. No. Location of sampling station Sampling station Description Symbols of the location Sediment 1 Naraj (85° 46’47”E 20° Just after the barrage R1 20’13”N) constructed on river Kathajodi 2 Arilo (85°47’8.5”E A bushy wasteland R2 20°28’14.9”N) 3 CDA-Bidanasi City sewage disposal point R3 (85 48’ 33”E 20°28’3.4”N) 4 Bidyadharpur A farming village with fly ash R4 (85°49’26.4”E brick factory 20°7’14.7”N) 5 Brahmanigaon A fishing village R5 (85°52’7.3”E 20°26’56.3”N) 6 Khannagar Under a bridge of railway track R6 (85°54’3.5”E & Highway and after the raw city 20°44’30”N) sewage disposal point 7 Urali (85°54’14” E A farming village after the R7 20°42’29” N) river bifurcated opposite side it receives city sewage 8 Mirjeipur(85°58’12” E A farming village just before R8 20°36’46” N) the bifurcated portion joined to its main river 9 Raghunathpur A farming village with farming R9 (85°59’36” E on river sand and also the sewage 20°43’38” N) disposal in to river after treatment in a STP. 10 Komashasan A village just after join of the R10 (86°02’43” E river 20°36’35” N) BARIK et al., Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Sediments in the Downstream of Kathajodi River, Odisha, India 5527 Table 2.

Load more