Impact Of Industrial Effluent On Hindon River And Groundwater In Ghaziabad City: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Ever since the dawn of industrialisation, irresponsible disposal of untreated industrial effluent has been a threat to the health of surface water bodies and groundwater quality. As a developing nation, India’s socio-economic growth is driven by its industries, most of which release huge quantities of wastewater into rivers. Facing ever-increasing water scarcity, the population has become heavily reliant on groundwater resources, which are already under stress and contaminated. This study focuses on Ghaziabad city; for surface water assessment, five samples were collected from Hindon River, and for groundwater assessment, five samples each were collected from Industrial areas and Residential areas in Ghaziabad city. The samples were analysed for pH, colour, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), total hardness (TH), chemical oxygen (COD) demand, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO). The heavy metals analysed were Lead, Arsenic, Nickel, Zinc, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper And Iron. Several water quality parameters were found to be exceeding permissible limits prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The Water Quality Index was also calculated, and the water quality of the Hindon River and groundwater in Ghaziabad city was found to be very poor and, in some cases, unfit for drinking purposes.