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Assessment of non-point source of pollution using chemical mass balance approach: a case study of River Alaknanda, a tributary of River Ganga, India

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Abstract

The low ionic concentration meltwaters of the rivers originating from the Himalayan glaciers play a significant role in diluting the high solute load emanating from Ganga plain catchments. Hence, any change in the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the Himalayan tributaries of River Ganga under the changing climatic scenario will impact the hydrochemical parameters of River Ganga as well. Hydrochemical investigations have been carried out in the River Alaknanda, a tributary of River Ganga during the period September 2016–May 2018 and revealed that TSS and COD values were observed above the prescribed criteria limit of 10 mg/L for drinking purpose for river as prescribed by CPCB. The anions for all sampling sites and seasons were observed to be in decreasing order of HCO3−  > SO42−  > Cl−  > NO3− and cations Ca2+  > Mg2+  > Na+  > K+. The weathering of rock forming minerals of drainage basin is responsible for the chemical composition of river water. HCO3− being the dominant anion in the study area accounts for its presence due to carbonate and silicate weathering. Ion exchange process controls the major ion chemistry of the river water. The assessment and management of non-point sources (NPS) pollution are difficult by any deterministic method and require a vast amount of data to compensate for their extent of contamination, in the account of their prevailing nature in response to hydrological processes and land use patterns. In the present investigation, the application of a simple chemical mass balance approach based on law of conservation of mass/matter has been applied on River Alaknanda, a tributary of River Ganga for measuring the chemical mass loadings of some selected water quality constituents, viz., major cations (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and ammonium) and major anions (chloride, sulfate, nitrate, and phosphate) at upstream and downstream of different point source locations for examining the contribution made by non-point sources of pollution to the river. Time series analysis of various ion concentrations at point source sites and upstream/downstream sites inferred that the fluvial variations pertaining to ion concentration and flux are strongly dependent on the seasonal changes. More contribution (> 30–50%) for almost all constituents from uncharacterized sources was observed in the months of November to February, which may be attributed to intensified agricultural activities during the winter months particularly cereals and vegetables.

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source loadings of various constituents

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Data availability

The analysis of major cations and anions was carried on Ion Chromatograph (Metrohm, Switzerland). Details of the analysis are given in Sharma et al. (2019) cited in the reference list and maintained analytical precision for all the analytes (anions and cations) < 5% and accuracy < 5%. The corresponding author confirms that he had full access to all the data used in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Discharge data used in the study was provided by Central Water Commission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and is thankfully acknowledged. The analytical data that support the findings of this study will be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This research work is a part of NMSHE project titled “Integrated Hydrological Studies for Upper Ganga Basin up to Rishikesh” sponsored by Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi vide DST Sanction No. DST/SPLICE/CCP/NMSHE/TF-4/NIH/2015-G and hereby acknowledged. The authors are thankful to the Director, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, for providing analytical facilities and financial support for carrying out this work.

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  1. National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, 247667, Uttarakhand, India

    M. K. Sharma, Pradeep Kumar, Kunarika Bhanot & Parul Prajapati

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Sharma, M.K., Kumar, P., Bhanot, K. et al. Assessment of non-point source of pollution using chemical mass balance approach: a case study of River Alaknanda, a tributary of River Ganga, India. Environ Monit Assess 193, 424 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09203-x

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