Impact of development activities on river in urban areas

Abstract

River is of great importance to human life and it is one of the major sources available for fresh water consumption by humans. So it is very important to keep the river water clean and its quality in check as it is a major environmental concern. Throughout the history of human civilization, rivers have always been heavily exposed to pollution, due to their easy accessibility to disposal of wastes. Anthropogenic activities affect river water quality and determine its use for various purposes. Encroachments n ear the river course can be seen in most of the cases as river is the main attractive thing for the people for its charming beauty and waste disposal facility. One such case is of Kaliyasot River, tributary of Betwa River, which is located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. This River originates from the outflow of the Kaliyasot Dam and reaches Raisen to meet Betwa. Kaliyasot Dam was constructed to serve the purpose of irrigation. Study area for this project is from Kaliyasot Dam to Salaiya Village which is 9 Kms. Upstream of the study area includes mainly the Kolar area which is highly urbanized and downstream of the study area includes Salaiya Village which is in transition phase. Due to the urbanization, haphazard growth along the river in Kolar area has taken pl ace and also constructions on the buffer of the river have become a problem. These constructions are not according to the present norms and the development is unplanned. Due to this, the river has been impacted and river pollution has become a serious conc ern. Due to the construction on the buffer of the river, people are facing flood like situations during monsoon or high flow periods. For this study, my aim is to assess the impacts of developmental activities on river in urban areas and formulating strate gies for prevention of adverse impact, taking case of Kaliyasot River, Bhopal. For this, the study deals with the indicators for the assessment of surface water quality of the river. To check the quality of the Kaliyasot River, physiochemical parameters have been dealt with. As the river is impacted by the development along its banks and that development is predominantly a residential development and not industrial development, therefore 14 physiochemical parameters have been selected for the study accordin gly which include, BOD, COD, Turbidity, pH, Total Coli form, nitrogen etc. The developmental activities along the river and the study area has been analyzed, some of them include the unplanned growth of the settlements along the river and on the buffer of the river in Kolar area due to which the problems like direct sewage disposal into the river without any treatment, solid waste dumping into the river, domestic waste water disposal occurs. Also, due to the settlement of slums on the buffer, activities like washing, bathing and open defecation have become the sources of pollution. Due to these activities, pollution of river has become a serious problem. Therefore, checking the quality of Kaliyasot River is very important to know the intensity of impact due to these activities. For this, temporal data of last 27 years of the quality of river has been collected from the State Pollution Control Board representing each of the selectedImpact of Development Activities on River in Urban Areas physiochemical parameters. Then each of the parameter has been analyzed ac cording to the 27 years of data. Also water sample testing has been done from the 4 points on the river from PHE Department and private testing lab to check the present status of the water quality. This analysis will show the intensity of different activit ies on the river so that we can decide how to deal with these impacts to reduce them. After analyzing the linkage between developmental activities and the impacts on the river through the physiochemical parameters, some planning strategies have been proposed to reduce these impacts and prevent the river from losing its existence. Zone which mainly needs to be improved/ developed is Kolar area. Laying a new sewer line in the study area and establishing an STP for the treatment of sewage. The treated water wi ll be stored and sold for construction purpose in the nearby areas; it can also be sold to the automobile service stations and can be used for the rejuvenation purpose like fountains, artificial water bodies in the societies for generating funds for operat ion and maintenance. Recouping buffer by building retaining wall where no buffer is left to provide service road of at least 9 m and services like sewer line, storm water drainage and garbage collection stations at regular intervals is proposed. Also relocation of slum is proposed to prevent them from flooding as they are the most vulnerable. By their relocation, activities like washing; bathing and open defecation will end. For the area Salaiya Village, where the development has not yet taken place but is in the transition phase, planning strategies have been proposed. Apart from the services like sewer line, storm water drainage, garbage collection stations in the study area; River Water Front Development is proposed so that no other activities can take pl ace on the buffer of the river. Also this River Front Development will be operated and maintained properly as this will be a public entity. Lastly, afforestation is proposed for the areas wherever it is necessary, to prevent soil erosion and promote “Clean and Green” environment. This thesis project can be taken forward by studying other environmental indicators like the river ecosystem, biological indicators, flora and fauna of the river.