CHAPTER II NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE STUDY AREA Chapter II Natural environment of the study area 2.1 Introduction It is necessary to study the natural environment of area as it directly or indirectly influences the health of the local people. Therefore, in the present work, the existing environment of study area has been discussed. For this purpose environmental components have been studied for assessment of groundwater quality in the study area. The components studied are geology, hydrology, climate, and geomorphology. 2.2 Study area Shirur Taluka of the Pune District has been selected for the present research work (Fig 2.1). It is located in the north-eastern part of Pune district. The Headquarter of the Tehsil is 68 km away from Pune city. Shirur Taluka is drought prone area. The study area lies in the river basin of Bhima, Ghod and Vel. These rivers together with rainfall offer water resource for agriculture and other activities. The area receives an average rainfall of 733 cm. The geographical location of the study area can be expressed as from 18° 49' 00"N latitude to 19° 14' 00"N latitude and from 74" 22' 00"E to 75 ° 30' 00"E longitude included in the survey of India topographic sheet Nos. 47J/1, 47J/2 47J/5, 47J/6, 47J/10, 47J/11 and 47 1/4 on the 1:50000 scale. The Taluka comprises about 116 villages having only one urban centre i.e. Shirur (Table 2.1). The population of the Taluka according to the census (2001) is 6, 48,179. Total 21 industries are in existence in the study area, out of which 11 industries are large scale, 02 industries are medium and 08 industries are in small scale. The industries are mainly automobile, electrical, electronics and chemical in nature. The total quantity of effluent generation is 1200 CMD. 21 Natural environment of the study area Table 2.1: Villages impounds in Shirur Taluka Village No Name Tahsil Village No Name Tahsil 1 Amdabad Shirur 59 Vadgaon Rasai Shirur 2 Alegaon Paga Shirur 60 Varude Shirur 3 Andhalgaon Shirur 61 Chandoh Shirur 4 Annapur Shirur 62 Ambale Shirur 5 Apti Shirur 63 Babhulsar Khurd Shirur 6 Chincholi Shirur 64 Bambhulsar Bk Shirur 7 Malthan Shirur 65 Choudhar Bend Shirur 8 Kendur Shirur 66 Darekarwadi Shirur 9 Khandale Shirur 67 Takali Haji Shirur 10 Kuruli Shirur 68 Sukrewadi Shirur 11 Nimone Shirur 69 Waghale Shirur 12 Rautwadi Shirur 70 Karanjawane Shirur 13 Malwadi (N.V.) Shirur 71 Thapewadi Pimpalwadi Shirur 14 Khaire nagar Shirur 72 Thitewadi Shirur 15 Mandavgan Farata Shirur 73 Zodagewadi Shirur 16 Nimgaon Bhogi Shirur 74 Dongargaon Shirur 17 Parodi Shirur 75 Arangaon Shiriir 18 Sanaswadi Shirur 76 Bhambarde Shirur 19 Mhasebk Shirur 77 Chinchani Shirur 20 Khairewadi Shirur 78 Dhamari Shirur 21 Nagargaon Shirur 79 Dhanore Shirur 22 Pimpari Dumala Shirur 80 Echakewadi Shirur 23 Rakshewadi Shirur 81 Burunjwadi Shirur 24 Shikrapur Shirur 82 Chavhanwadi Shirur 25 Munjalwadi Shirur 83 Dhumalwadi (N.V.) Shirur 26 Mahadeo Wadi Shirur 84 Dingrajwadi Shirur 27 Nirvi Shirur 85 Futanwadi Akharimal Shirur 28 Ranjangaon Ganpati Shirur 86 Fakate Shirur 29 Ranjangaon Sandas Shirur 87 Dahiwadi Shirur 30 Takali Bhima Shirur 88 Dhok Sangavi Shirur 31 Nimgaon Dude Shirur 89 Faradwadi (N.V.) Shirur 32 Malwadi agarkarwadi Shirur 90 Hivare Shirur 33 Pimpalsuti Shirur 91 Kasari Shirur 34 Shivtakrar Mahalungi Shirur 92 Jambut Shirur 35 Talegaon Dhamdhere Shirur 93 Ganegaon Dumala Shirur 22 Natural environment of the study area Contd. Table 2.1 36 Pimpar Khed Shirur 94 Ganegaon Khalsa Shirur 37 Mukhai Shirur 95 Jategaon Budriik Shirur 38 Sandalgaon Shirur 96 Karade Shirur 39 Shingadwadi Shirur 97 Kondhapuri Shirur 40 Uralgaon Shirur 98 Kathapur Khurd Shirur 41 Vithalwadi Shirur 99 Golegaon Shirur 42 Ravadewadi Shirur 100 Gunat Shirur 43 Pabal Shirur 101 Jategaon Khurd Shirur 44 Shindodi Shirur 102 Kohak Dewadi Shirur 45 Shirur (Urban coitre) Shirur 103 Koregaon Bhima Shirur 46 Wadhu Bk Shirur 104 Kowathe Shirur 47 Saradwadi Shirur 105 Inamgaon Shirur 48 Parhadwadi Shirur 106 Kanhur Mesai Shirur 49 Shirasgaon Kata Shirur 107 Kardilwadi Shirur 50 Sone S£ingavi Shirur 108 Motewadi Shirur 51 Wasewadi Shirur 109 Nimgaon Mhalungi Shirur 52 Savindane Shirur 110 Lakhewadi Shirur 53 Pimpale Khalsa Shirur 111 Karandi Shirur 54 Tandali Shirur 112 Karegaon Shirur 55 Tardobachiwadi Shiriir 113 Kolgaon Do las Shirur 56 Wajewadi Shirur 114 Nhavara Shirur 57 Sawlewadi Shirur 115 Pimpale Jagtap Shirur 58 Shastabad Shirur 116 Vadner Khurd Shirur Source: Census handbook of India, 2001 23 Natural environment of the study area Rapid industrial development, urbanization and excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the agricultural fields of the Shirur taluka in the recent years have resulted in the exponential increase in the generation of waste-water and solid wastes. It is beyond doubt that groundwaters are highly polluted, especially in the changing rural areas into urban sectors (Laitinen and Harris, 1975) because of the sources like domestic wastes, industrial wastes, agricultural wastes, run-off fi-om the urban areas and soluble effluents. Thus the polluted groundwater is a major cause of the spread of epidemic and chronic diseases m human beings (Trivedi and Goel, 1984) such as typhoid, dysentery, jaundice, diarrhea, hepatitis etc. People of the area are wholly dependent on groundwater for their drinking and cooking purposes in the study area as it is the only source of drinking water for them and the MIDC sector since two decades in this area is creating severe groundwater and other envirorunental problems. Because of waste disposal and other human activities groundwater becomes polluted and therefore becomes less suitable for drinking, domestic and agricultural purposes. So it is very important to take some essential initiatives to curb this problem. The present research work involved the physico- chemical studies of the groundwaters in selected area of Shirur taluka which is important to detect the pollutants in groundwater, trace their source. Because of the establishment of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) namely Ranjangaon-karegaon industrial area, the peripheral villages are getting fast developed which is why there is a deficiency of treated municipal water supply and hence there is no alternative for the use of groundwater in such parts of the taluka. Presumably most of the disorders are caused by contaminated drinking groundwater and hence the people frequently experiences episodes of various water borne diseases. Hence a need was felt to undertake studies to assess the quality of groundwaters in terms of their physico-chemical characteristics. 24 Natural environment of the study area \lkHvk\>tllK« IMN4 K •••. -J ' V ^ \m^.il Ki Study area Legend Village Name A vvaghaie A Pimpan Oumaia A Raniangaon Ganapffl A Onotcssigavi A Karegaon A BhalHlsar Khurd A BhamCJaroe A Karan)awar>e A Ntmgaon Mhaiii^gi A Khandale I j Village Boundarv Figure 2.1: Location map of the study area 25 Natural environment of the study area 2.3 Physical environment 2.3.1 Geology ShiruT taluka restrains to the Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP) of Cretaceous Eocene age (Krishnan, 1982; Sayyed and Himdekari, 2006) which is one of the most extensive flood basalt provinces of the world covering 5,00,000 km^ area in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (Fig. 2.2). The province is made up of several lava flows with the thickness of individual lava flow varying from a few meters to as much as 40m which are fine to medium grained basalts. They are fiirther characterized as compact, amygdaloidal and porphyritic basalts possessing low hydraulic conductivity (Pakhmode et al, 2003). The basaltic rocks occur as lava flows which are highly inhomogeneous and generally consist of lower massive unit and upper vesicular unit (Naik et al., 2008). The massive unit of the basaltic flows constitutes about 60 to 85% which is mostly fine grained, dense, compact and greenish to dark grey in colour possessing negligible primary porosity and permeability and thus generally acting as an impermeable layer. However, the process of weathering and the occurrence of joints and fractures at places make it moderately permeable. The vesicular upper unit which forms 15 to 40% of the flows is generally soft, fine grained and greenish to brownish in colour. The vesicles are usually rounded to oval-shaped and are either filled with secondary minerals such as zeolites, quartz and calcite or open or interconnected. The vesicular unit possesses primary porosity and is weathered in most parts which are conspicuous even at depth. The density of vesicles increases toward the top of each flow and if these vesicles are interconnected it makes it highly permeable and when the vesicles are filled with secondary minerals permeability decreases. Despite the fact that cavities, vesicles, flow contacts, lava pipes and tunnels can build up principal porosity in the basalt (Pawar and Shaikh, 1995) the flows in study area are less porous. Conversely jointing and fracturing by way of interconnectivity have conveyed localized secondary porosity and permeability to form suitable groundwater reservoirs at places (Pawar et al., 2008). Furthermore the cooling features like columnar joints serve as hydrologic 26 Natural environment of the study area discontinuities, which in turn function as pathways for information of rainwater (Fig. 2.3). Scale in kftn^efea Figure 2.2: Map showing Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP) of India Generally the consecutive lava flows are separated by a red layer, varying in thickness from 0.15 to Im, termed as 'red bole'. Red boles are considered to be in-situ products of weathering during a long quiescence period after the earlier flow (Sayyed and Hundekari, 2006; Ghosh et al, 2006) and subsequently backed by the succeeding flow.