Urban Environment and Water Quality: Insights from Karamana River Basin, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Abstract

This study mainly focuses on the water quality and urban influence in parts of the Karamana River. The water quality parameters of six selected sites within the urban area were considered. Physico-chemical and biological parameters of water quality were analysed for 2019 (pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon). Results have shown a distinct variation of parameters in the less built-up areas than that of the more built-up areas. The indication of the effect of urbanization on water resources has been demonstrated. The pH at Thiruvallom was 5.8, which is located at downstream. The conductivity values range from 69.38 μs/s to 605 μS/cm and from 46.5 μS/cm to 615 μS/cm, and from 76.25 μS/cm to 559.6 μS/cm during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Ca > Na > Mg > K was the order of cation abundance for the study area. The TC value was 43100 cfu/100ml in Moonnattumukk station. The DO was very low in locations at Moonnattumukk, Thiruvallom and Pallathukadav. Though the deterioration of water quality was limited to a few localized zones, the trend of the quality change was distinct. Keywords: Land Use/Land Cover, Urbanization, Water Quality, Physico-Chemical and Biological Parameters.