Quality assessment of Tsurang River water affected by coal mining along the Tsurangkong Range, Nagaland, India

Tsurang, a major river in the Mokokchung district of Nagaland, northeast India, shares great aspects of traditional importance for the Ao Naga tribes and is a part of natural commodity providing water to the agrarian community for irrigation and livestock rearing. However, various environment detrimental activities are practiced along the course of the riverbank, particularly coal mining and agriculture. The present study was conducted to examine the seasonal water quality index (WQI) of the Tsurang river from three selected sampling stations. Overall, the water quality status was rated as “Good” in winter and spring while “Poor” in summer and autumn. In all the seasons, downstream (S3) located at the human settlement area presented higher WQI values compared to upstream (S1) and midstream (S2). The parameters such as turbidity, DO and BOD played a central role in affecting the WQI; although, no such significant roles in case of nutrient elements were observed in affecting the water quality. The WQI revealed that Tsurang river water is deteriorated due to coal mining and other anthropogenic activities practiced along the stretch of the river and the water needs to be pretreated before consumption. Therefore, proper management strategies and conservation efforts should be enforced and regulated by policymakers to protect the river from further contamination.

Impact of Spring Freshet Flooding and Summer Rainfall Flooding on the Water Quality of an Alpine Barrier Lake

Background: Among the many types of lakes, the barrier lake attracts special attention. China’s Lake Jingpo is one of the world’s rare such alpine lakes. Spring freshet flooding and summer rainfall flooding are factors that significantly increase barrier lake instability while also impacting water quality. Results: This study constructed a hydrodynamic water-quality model to simulate the impacts of spring freshet flooding, summer rainfall flooding, and 30-year frequency rainfall flooding on the flow-field and water quality at Lake Jingpo. Results showed that the lake-area flow field was generally weak (mostly lower than 0.015 m/s), but spring freshet flooding in April and summer rainfall flooding in August-September increase flow velocities to 0.045 m/s and above, much higher than in other months. Mudanjiang is the largest river that enters Lake Jingpo. Its flow reaches 4.81×10 8 m 3 , 29.77×10 8 m 3 , and 58.4×10 8 m 3 during the spring freshet flooding, summer rainfall flooding and 30-year frequency rainfall flooding period, respectively. The longest diffusion distances were measured from the lake mouth to the point of impact; these were 16.3 km, 33.1km, and 43.6km for the above periods, respectively. Our research revealed that precipitation played an important role in seasonal water quality at Lake Jingpo, and larger amounts of precipitation, longer diffusion distances, and increased pollutant concentrations. Conclusions: Compared to the effects of the spring freshet flooding period, the summer rainfall flooding and 30-year frequency rainfall flooding period more significantly affected water quality at Lake Jingpo. There was more overall precipitation, longer diffusion distances, and increased pollutant concentrations in the lake area. Alpine barrier lake environments are very fragile, which need greater care efforts and more stringent measures to control pollution sources throughout entire catchment area.

Seasonal Water Quality Study of Nche Stream, A Water Body in Imo State, Nigeria

Seasonal variations water quality of Nche stream in carried out using standard methods. The study lasted between April, 2014-March, 2015. Results obtained revealed that pH of the Nche stream varied from 6.41-6.87 in rainy season to 5.50-6.10 in dry season. Mean values for total solid, total dissolved solid, and total suspended solid for rainy season were 208.32 mg/l, 91.81 mg/l, and 116.50 mg/l respectively, while 139.88 mg/l, 72.47 mg/l, and 67.40 mg/l were the respective mean values for total solid, total dissolved solid and total suspended solid in dry season. Bacterial isolates from the stream include Actinomyces sp., Bacillus sp., Staphylococcus sp., Lactobacillus sp, Streptococcus sp., Achromobacter sp., Klebsilla sp., Salmonella sp., Escherichia sp., Acinetobactor sp., Serratia sp., Proteus sp., Enterobacter sp., Vibrio sp., Shigellasp, Flavobacterium sp., Citrobacter sp., Micrococcus sp., and Pseudomonas sp., while saprophytic mould isolates were Penicilum sp., Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp., Cladosporium sp., Rhizopus sp., and Geotricum sp. Levels of cadmium for Nche stream from August to the rest of dry season as observed did not fall within WHO limit. Mean values of THBC, THUB, TCC, SCC, TVB, and TFC observed in the studied stream water were higher in rainy seasons than dry season and high than their respective WHO limits. The ability of cadmium heavy metal to accumulate in the body and the infective nature of the isolated organisms could pose a problem to the locals who consume water from this stream without further purification. There is need to inform the local population on the seasonal pollution status of Nche stream since they heavily depend on this stream as a source of domestic water. This study has evaluated the seasonal water quality of Nche stream, a water body in Imo State, Nigeria.

Impact of Human Activities and Natural Processes on the Seasonal Variability of River Water Quality in Two Watersheds in Lampung, Indonesia

This study identified seasonal water quality characteristics in two adjacent mountainous rivers (Sangharus and Sekampung Hulu Rivers) in Lampung, Indonesia and determined the impacts of fertilizer application on river chemistry as a result of social forestry management. In 2016, we measured water chemistry and conducted a farmers’ questionnaire survey to obtain information on fertilizer application. The water quality results indicated that several parameters, including nitrate (NO3) and phosphate (PO4), were significantly higher in the Sangharus River than in the Sekampung Hulu River. In addition, several parameters were influenced by dilution from high river flow in the rainy season. Some parameters were likely influenced by the weathering of parent materials. By contrast, electrical conductivity (EC) and NO3 were higher in the rainy season, which was likely linked to the dominant timing of urea fertilizer application during this season. Despite the application of fertilizers in the watersheds, NO3 levels remained below the recommended standard. However, aluminum and iron concentrations were higher than the recommended level for drinking water, which was likely due to elevated soil erosion from improper land management. Therefore, we recommend that effective land management policies be implemented through the adoption of soil conservation practices for nutrient loss prevention.