Assessment of impact of industrial and urban wastewater discharges into east Bein a Satluj tributary Bist Doab region Punjab India

Abstract

An attempt has been made to assess the impact of industrial and urban wastewater discharge on the water quality of East Bein, a tributary of River Satluj. East Bein rivulet originates from the Shiwaliks and travels a distance of approximately 120 km before merging with River Satluj. During the study, it was observed that East Bein gets polluted when it traverses through the industrial and urban cities namely Jalandhar, Phagwara, Nakodar, Garhshankar and Banga. The surface and groundwater quality has deteriorated to an alarming level in the East Bein Sub Basin. Untreated domestic and industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, leaching of agrochemicals and waste from animal husbandry, are the main sources of surface and groundwater pollution in the EBSB. The baseflow of East Bein is not enough for dilution of pollutants received through small drains. The depressions in these floodplains are now levelled and are being used for extensive agricultural activities is another threatening factor for the sustainability of the river. The soils of the EBSB are also moderately contaminated. To overcome the problem of water quality deterioration in EBSB, it is necessary to make a check on direct disposal of industrial and urban wastewater into it. To achieve this, installing effluent and sewage treatment plants with sufficient treatment capacity should be made necessary, meeting the wastewater disposal norms of Indian legal standards before their disposal into it. There is an urgent need to monitor and regulate the quality status of various drains before merging with the East Bein at various locations. newline