Assessment of Concentrations of Trace Elements in the Groundwater Sources Along the Course of Swarna River in Udupi District, Karnataka State, India
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International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 10, Issue 02, February 2019, pp. 1366-1375. Article ID: IJCIET_10_02_132 Available online at http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJCIET?Volume=10&Issue=2 ISSN Print: 0976-6308 and ISSN Online: 0976-6316 © IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed ASSESSMENT OF CONCENTRATIONS OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN THE GROUNDWATER SOURCES ALONG THE COURSE OF SWARNA RIVER IN UDUPI DISTRICT, KARNATAKA STATE, INDIA Kush Kalra Former Post Graduate student, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Udupi, Karnataka, India *Ramprasad Vasthare Associate Professor, Dept. of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Udupi, Karnataka, India Deepak Kumar Singhal Associate Professor, Dept. of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Udupi, Karnataka, India Udaya Shankara H N Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Udupi, Karnataka, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction: Swarna river is one of the major sources of water for Udupi district, Karnataka State. Trace elements present in water gives valuable data about the quality and origin of water and remedial actions that need to be taken if there is any deficiency or excess of elements present in water, as it impacts both the general health and dental health of the populations using the water. It is known that the quality of water affects the development of the skeletal and dental hard tissues in the populations. There was no recent reports related to trace elements present in Swarna river and hence a trace element analysis of the river water during pre-monsoon and monsoon was planned to get a fair assessment of the quality of water http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJCIET 1366 [email protected] Kush Kalra, Ramprasad Vasthare, Deepak Kumar Singhal and Udaya Shankara H N Objectives: 1. To assess the concentrations of trace elements in the groundwater sources along the course of Swarna river in Udupi district 2. To assess the effect of monsoon on the concentrations of trace elements in Swarna river water in Udupi district. Methods: The water sample collection was done during two different periods to assess the effect of monsoon on trace elements concentration. These periods include Pre monsoon and Monsoon. A total of 30 sampling points were identified according to the river flow. Trace metal analysis was carried out using 797 VA Computrace (Version 1.3.1.84) which is a modern voltammetric measuring stand Results: The color, odor, turbidity and temperature of collected samples across the two seasons was assessed and tabulated. Conclusion: The ground water in Swarna river basin was found acceptable for human consumption with various trace elements within reasonable limits in maximum sampled sites in the pre monsoon season. But excessive lead contamination was seen at all the sampled sites in the monsoon phase, the reason for which needs to be ascertained with further focused studies Keywords: analysis, ground water, trace elements, Swarna river, Udupi. Cite this Article: Kush Kalra, Ramprasad Vasthare, Deepak Kumar Singhal and Udaya Shankara H N, Assessment of Concentrations of Trace Elements in the Groundwater Sources along the Course of Swarna River in Udupi District, Karnataka State, India, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 10(2), 2019, pp. 1366-1375. http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJCIET?Volume=10&Issue=2 1. INTRODUCTION The single most important natural resource essential for our survival is water. Most of the diseases that afflict humans, especially those in the developing countries can be traced to lack of supply of safe drinking water. Drinking water can be defined as “water intended for human consumption for drinking and cooking purposes from any source.” It includes water (untreated or treated) which is supplied by any means for human consumption.1 Water supply can be obtained from various sources like rain water, surface water and ground water. Ground water constitutes about eighty percent of the drinking water requirements in the rural areas, fifty percent in the urban areas and more than fifty percent of the irrigation requirements of the nation. 2 In many of the developing countries e.g. India, the facility of treating drinking water before supplying, it is not always possible or available. In most of the parts of the country the population takes water for their domestic use directly from the source. Nowadays, owing to haphazard urbanization and industrialization, the quality and quantity of water is turning out to be a major threat to mankind. Udupi is a coastal district of Karnataka state and is located along the west coast of peninsular India and the high towering Western Ghats separate it from the rest of peninsula It lies between 13° 04’ and 13° 59’ North latitude and 74° 35’ and 75° 12’ East longitude spanning an area of 3575 sq. km. Around 88 km in length and approximately 80 km in widest http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJCIET 1367 [email protected] Assessment of Concentrations of Trace Elements in the Groundwater Sources along the Course of Swarna River in Udupi District, Karnataka State, India part and is bounded in the North by Uttara Kannada district, in the East by Shimoga and Chikkamagalur district and in the South by Dakshina Kannada district. The district was formed from South Canara District in the year 1997. It has three administrative subdivisions Udupi, Kundapura, and Karkala taluks.3 One of the main rivers of Udupi district is Swarna. With a total catchment area of 327 sq.km, the river originates in Western Ghats and terminates in Arabian Sea near Kameshwara village in Udupi taluk, flowing for a length of 61.05 km up to its confluence with the sea. In the initial reaches, the river is called "Yennehole" and called "Swarna” River after its confluence with `Kaud-hole' which is its tributary.4 A major portion of Udupi population is dependent on the river for drinking and other purposes. In urban sections, Udupi Municipality supplies the river water for domestic purposes after treating it. But, in rural areas, the people directly depend on the groundwater of the river basin. The science dealing with the relationship between natural geological factors and health problems in man and animals is called medical geology. The relationship between humans and ecosystem, life, flora and fauna, the environment and illness is greatly governed by geological factors.5 The natural deficiency or toxicity of trace metals in the water can be described by their geographical distribution in nature and the adverse effects are seen endemically. Seasonal variation in the concentration of trace elements in the water is common owing to monsoon or other environmental conditions.6 The physical, chemical and biological conditions influenced by natural and anthropogenic sources affect the quality of water being utilized.7 Assessing trace element concentration has been undertaken by a number of studies in various parts of the country as well as in the numerous rivers of Karnataka.8-11 An in depth search of literature unfortunately revealed that trace element concentration in the groundwater of Swarna river basin hasn’t been explored. In abnormal concentrations, trace elements are known to have an effect on oral hard tissues, so their analysis will enable us to assess the water quality of river basin and changes that occur, if any, due to geological factors like monsoon. 2. OBJECTIVES 1. To assess the concentrations of trace elements in the groundwater sources along the course of Swarna river in Udupi District 2. To assess the effect of monsoon on the concentrations of trace elements in the river water. http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJCIET 1368 [email protected] Kush Kalra, Ramprasad Vasthare, Deepak Kumar Singhal and Udaya Shankara H N 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS 3.1. Study area map 3.2. Study duration This study was carried out for a period of 10 months i.e. from January 2016 - October 2016. The water sample collection was done during two different periods to assess the effect of monsoon on trace elements concentration. These periods include Pre monsoon (March 2016) and Monsoon (July 2016) 3.3. Sample collection sites The flow of Swarna River is about 60 kilometres in and around Udupi district. It originates at a point called Eedu and meets the Arabian Sea at the last accessible point Kalyanpura. The sample collection sites were fixed by referring the regional Toposheet of Udupi district. A total of 30 sampling points were identified according to the river flow. (Map of the study area) 3.4. Processing of sample collection bottle Wide mouth polypropylene (PP Grade) bottles were used for collecting water samples from each site. All the bottles were initially rinsed with dilute nitric acid (10%) followed by double distilled water and kept for drying in a laminar flow chamber overnight. After drying, the bottles were labelled with the sampling site number and name and were stored until further use. 3.5. Onsite water collection 500 ml of water sample was collected in the corresponding bottle from each site. The bottle was rinsed three times with the sample water and then water sample was collected without leaving any air bubble inside. http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJCIET 1369 [email protected] Assessment of Concentrations of Trace Elements in the Groundwater Sources along the Course of Swarna River in Udupi District, Karnataka State, India 3.6. Onsite sample analysis The onsite water analysis was done using Hach HQ40d portable multi-parameter probe for pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, resistivity, salinity and dissolved oxygen. 3.7. Storage and filtration Samples were then stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of 4°C until further use for testing, so that no change in properties will occur.