Assessment of Impacts Paper Industrial Effluent on ground water quality

D.Rama Rao, P.V.S. Machiraju, V. Siddaiah, Y.L.N. Murthy

Water is an essential component for the survival of the eco systems and all the living organisms on the earth. Due to agricultural activities, rapid industrialization and growth in urban population, the water sources are being contaminated by anthropogenic activities. Keeping  in view the rapid industrialization in East Godavari region, it is proposed to characterize the effluent water generated from the paper industry and ground water collected from the surrounding areas of the industry to assess  the impact of paper industrial effluent  on ground water quality .The present work is focused on characterization of effluent and ground water collected  physiological  parameters viz.,pH, EC,TDS,TH, TA, Chloride, Sulphate, Nitrate,  Phosphate, Na, K,Ca,Mg for assessing the chemical contamination of water. Irrigation parameters like, Percent sodium, SAR, RSC, KR and MH are determined to verify the suitability of water for irrigation purposes. Further the  waters are characterized for metal ions like Li,Be,Al,V,Cr,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn,As,Se,Rb,Sr,Ag, Cd, Cs, Ba,Pb to assess the metal toxicity. The waters are also characterized for Microbial species. The research results revealed that higher values of TDS, TA and TH in some water samples indicate the presence of soluble solids and alkalinity of water. Higher values of TH in some samples indicate the encrustation nature of waters which make the waters unsuitable for drinking and domestic purposes. Presence of pathogenic bacteria like E.coli, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella and Basillus indicate the microbial contamination of water and hence these waters can cause waterborne diseases, if consumed for drinking  purposes. It is suggested that these waters are to be treated by using the available treatment methods to remove the chemical contamination and to subject the waters for disinfection methods to remove the microbial contamination befour use for drinking or domestic purposes.