Impact of Urbanization on Water Quality of Karamana River

Abstract

Water is an absolute necessity for all the living organisms on the earth. The evaluation of the river water quality is a critical element in the assessment of water resources. The exploitation of the rivers across Kerala is increasing in an immense manner that is resulting in flooding, water quality deterioration and dangerous extraction of riverbed deposits. Increasing urbanization is causing a number of serious impacts on the river basin system. The present study focuses on the assessment of water quality on a specific stretch of Karamanariver in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala state. To analyse the effect of urbanization on the water quality level in Karamanariver, the present study has collected data from 7 sampling points from various locations along the stretches of the river. The sampling points selected are Maruthoorkadavu, Iranimuttam, Thiruvallam, Parvathyputhanar, Edayar, Thopadi within the city and Aruvikkara which is a rural place far away from the Thiruvananthapuram city. For assessing the water quality, 10 parameters such as pH value, conductivity, turbidity, sulphate, chloride, phosphate, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, total solids and temperature are used. In the present paper, the data collected during the period November 2019 to February 2020 are analysed and presented. The study of water quality monitoring done in Karamanariver has provided an insight about the extent of deterioration of the quality of water in the river. The Karamanariver originates from the southern tip of the Western Ghats at AgastyarKoodam and flows 66 km westward and merges with Arabian Sea at Panathura near Kovalam. The river Killiyar and Parvathyputhanar also merges with the Karamanariver before it merges with the sea. The present study shows that a large quantity of sewage wastes reaches to Karamanariver at many places along the banks of the river and it pollutes water to a larger extend.