Evaluation of Water Quality of Local Streams at Gandhamardan Iron Mines, Suakati, Keonjhar District of Odisha, India

Abstract

The present study focused on assessing the water quality by using water quality index (WQI) of six streams located surrounding iron ore mine of Suakati area of Keonjhar District of Odisha, which includes the physicochemical analysis of fourteen parameters: pH, colour, total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolve oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total hardness (TH), chloride (Cl-), nitrate (NO 3-), oil & grease (O&G), sulphate (SO 4 2-), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), fluoride (F-) and arsenic(As). The WQI of these streams ranges from 4.47 to 244 indicating bad water quality of few streams. The high value of WQI has been found to be mainly from the higher values of TDS, TH, NO 3-, O&G, Mn, SO 4 2-, As, Fe and Fin different stream water. Correlation analysis shows a strongest value of positive Correlation coefficient (r) exist between O&G and WQI (r=0.979) at SW1, between as and WQI (r=0.985) at SW2, between O&G and WQI (r=0.99) at SW3, between O&G and WQI (r = 0.995) at SW4, between as and WQI (r=0.948) at SW5 and between TDS and WQI (r=0.753) at SW6. The analysis reveals average WQI score for water sample from locations SW1 (126.4), SW2 (222.6), SW3 (105.2) and SW6 (156.6) are in higher sides and quality is very poor. The study shows the quality of water is fit to use in irrigation but not fit for domestic purpose. It also proofs that anthropogenic activity like mining activity is putting deleterious impact on the surrounding water bodies.