Urban ecology and related environmental concerns
S. Marzouk
Abstract
Rapid population growth and increasing demand for the modern settlement has led to the increase of environmental pollution. Limestone quarry is one among the activities that affect environment and ecosystem in Pemba Island-Zanzibar. Quarrying activities brought an inevitable destruction to the environments ...
Read More
Rapid population growth and increasing demand for the modern settlement has led to the increase of environmental pollution. Limestone quarry is one among the activities that affect environment and ecosystem in Pemba Island-Zanzibar. Quarrying activities brought an inevitable destruction to the environments ranging from excavation, soil and land degradation, loose of biodiversity and water pollution. This study reports the impact of limestone quarries on groundwater quality based on analyses of various physico-chemical parameters of groundwater. Ground water samples were collected during the wet and dry season of 2016 from nine different wells in vicinity of limestone quarries. One groundwater sample, which was located about 5 kilometers from limestone quarries, was collected as a control. The result shows that the groundwater have an elevated level of pH, total dissolved solid, Electrical Conductivity, total alkalinity, as compared to control sample. Also the concentration level of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ slightly increases in all samples from dry season to wet season. This is probably due to the mixing of surface pollution and dissolution of limestone rocks. The study revealed that the nitrate and potassium concentrations are very high in the well nearest the limestone quarries. It is likely due to percolation of fertilizer from agricultural runoff stagnated nearby limestone quarries. This study shows that a conceptual physico-chemical interpretation of the results from water samples provides information of groundwater contamination, which is mainly derived from agricultural runoff and stagnated nearby limestone quarries. This study recommends that the quarrying activities should be minimal towards the subsurface level in order to reduce the possibility of aquifer contamination.
Urban ecology and related environmental concerns
P. D. Bhangaonkar; J. S. Patel
Abstract
Environmental flow requirements, to maintain the functioning of freshwater-dependent ecosystems and restore rivers in ecologically acceptable conditions, depend upon the present water quality status of the river. Various stretches of Vishwamitri River vary in quality and quantity. Water quality index ...
Read More
Environmental flow requirements, to maintain the functioning of freshwater-dependent ecosystems and restore rivers in ecologically acceptable conditions, depend upon the present water quality status of the river. Various stretches of Vishwamitri River vary in quality and quantity. Water quality index is a tool to converse information regarding water quality of various stretches of river and can be used for zoning them based on their present water quality status. Through such zoning, based on water quality index values as an integral component, Environmental flow requirements can be explored for Vishwamitri. In this paper, ‘Weighted Arithmetic Index’ method is used to find water quality index for both Vishwamitri and its tributaries using observed values of general physico-chemical parameters. The indices have been computed for pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons at sixteen sampling stations, i.e. S-1 to S-16 along the Vishwamitri and eight sampling stations on its various tributaries. Based on the analysis, Vishwamitri is zoned in two various zones. Sampling stations, S-1 to S-7 represent Zone 1 which contains WQI values from 50 to 75. Sampling stations S-8 to S-16 represent zone 2 which contain WQI values more than 75. Zone 1 is rich with DO whereas zone 2 contains high BOD and less DO. The WQI value of Surya River, a major tributary of Vishwamitri, indicates that river water is suitable for irrigation purpose. The WQI values of tributaries and drains, draining wastewater to stretch of Vishwamitri within Vadodara city, represents water quality as mostly unsuitable for drinking, irrigation or industrial purpose.
