Temporal Effects of Municipal Sewage on the Surface Water Quality (Cations and Anions) of the Buckingham Canal at Kalpakkam (India)

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Kumar, A. Yudhistra | Reddy, M. Vikram

Affiliations: Department of Ecology and Environemtnal Sciences, Pondicherry University Pondicherry – 605 014, India

Note: [] Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Temporal effects of treated and untreated municipal sewage on the cations – calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), hardness, sodium (Na) and potassium (K), and anions – chlorides (Cl^-), bicarbonates (HCO_3^-), carbonates (CO_3^{2-}) and alkalinity of surface water of the Buckingham canal were monitored across different seasons during premonsoon 2005 to post-monsoon – 2006 at Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu) located on the east coast of Indian peninsula. The concentrations of each of the cations and anions were higher in the untreated sewage input zone than that of the treated sewage input zone, and at the downstream higher than that of the upstream of the outfall points of both the untreated as well as treated sewage, of the canal. These parameters except K and alkalinity were higher in concentrations during summer while all the cations and the anions were lower during monsoon. The concentrations of K and alkalinity were higher during winter. Cluster analysis based on the similarities of the cations and anions applied to the six sampling points of the canal, grouped them into two clusters, one showing higher pollution level and the other lower pollution levels of water.

Keywords: Activated sludge treatment, up-stream and down-stream of canal, water quality parameters, Cluster analysis

Journal: Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 93-104, 2011