MAMATA CHHURIA, MALAYA RANJAN MAHANANDA, BIDUT PRAVA MOHANTY, SANJAYA KUMAR PATTANAYAK1 AND KARUNA EKKA
Abstract
The present study was conducted to assess the physicochemical characteristics of surface water in the Bargarh district, Odisha, India. The investigation focused on analyzing key physicochemical parameters such as pH, total dissolved solids, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, nitrate, phosphate, chloride. These indicators were used to evaluate the quality of surface water and its suitability for various uses. A total of 13 surface water samples, including 12 sampling sites and one control site were collected from the ponds of different locations within the district. The results revealed that, The key physicochemical parameters analyzed included pH (6.88â7.99), electrical conductivity (115â165 mS/cm), dissolved oxygen (3.02â5.3 mg/l), chloride (0.06â46.15 mg/l), nitrate (0â108.3 mg/l), alkalinity (103.97â143.39 mg/l), chemical oxygen demand (28.9â45.45 mg/l) and total dissolved solids (101â119 mg/l). Trace heavy metals such as Zn, Ni, Cu, Mn, Fe, Co, Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg, and V were also detected in the water samples. The WQI values in site A5, showed the highest contamination level (542.39) followed by sites A2, A3, A4 and A6, all classified as unsuitable for drinking and fishing (288.38â542.39). Site A1 was categorized as poor (56.13), A8 as very poor (101.61) whereas sites A7, A9, A10, A11 and A12 along with control were classified as good (26.02â43.64). Correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships between several key parameters. A very strong correlation was observed between pH and alkalinity (r = 0.96) and between chloride and EC (r = 0.92), suggesting the influence of ionic strength on buffering capacity. Nitrate also correlated strongly with EC (r = 0.82) indicating contamination from agricultural runoff or anthropogenic sources. A strong positive correlation was also found between COD and chloride (r = 0.63) and between alkalinity and chloride (r = 0.60). Conversely, DO showed significant negative correlations with pH (r = -0.58) and alkalinity (r =0.49) implying organic load stress. TDS exhibited weak or no significant correlation with most parameters while COD and DO showed negligible interdependence (r = 0.05). The study highlights the utility of WQI and correlation analysis in integrated water quality assessment and recommends continuous monitoring and pollution control to safeguard public health and aquatic life.