Water quality changes in Balu River during non-monsoon and monsoon period

Spring 2015

Water quality changes in Balu River during non-monsoon and monsoon period

A.R. Atiq, Rifat Mahmud Sojib & Subrota Chandra Shil

ABSTRACT

Bangladesh is a land of rivers and Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh. Dhaka is surrounded by many rivers and canals, such as Turag, Buriganga, Dhaleswari, Balu, and Shitalakshya etc. Among them, Balu River plays a vital role in carrying mostly of untreated water from the major industrial zones in and around Dhaka. Physical and chemical parameters are the main indicators for measuring water quality. Water samples were collected from four different locations of Balu River at the zero depth (surface of the river) during non-monsoon (May 2015) and monsoon (June 2015) period. In the non-monsoon period, the highest value of P^H, color of water, turbidity, sulfate, ammonia, nitrate, TDS, EC, BOD₅, DO were 8.02, 241 PTCO, 43.54 NTU, 24 mg/l, 22.7 mg/l, 2 mg/l, 188.3 mg/100ml, 391 µs/cm, 2.6 mg/l, 4.45 mg/l respectively. While in the monsoon period, the highest value of P^H, color of water, turbidity, sulfate, ammonia, nitrate, TDS, EC, BOD₅, DO were 6.94, 115 PTCO, 20.45 NTU, 18 mg/l, 2.61 mg/l, 0.7 mg/l, 133 mg/100ml, 277 µs/cm, 2.4 mg/l, 3.94 mg/l respectively. The findings suggest that present water quality of Balu River is not suitable for drinking and domestic uses, however, in monsoon period water can used as agricultural and industrial purposes.