Quality of water in rural Assama case study with respect to Nalbari district

Abstract

Quality of water in rural Assam - a case study with respect to Nalbari district The thesis consists of four chapters and a detailed list of references. Chapter 1 gives a general introduction to the problems associated with quality of water, particular in a rural background where potable water supply is not adequate. Chapter 2 describes the study area with all the available data relating to the problem under study. The methodology adopted in the study along with the water quality parameters chosen for analysis, their justification, the sampling procedure and the stations from which water samples were collected forms the Chapter 3 of the thesis. The results obtained in the analysis were given in Chapter 4 along with a discussion and conclusion. Chapter 1 (Introduction). This chapter begins with a brief description of water as a life sustaining system and the global scenario with respect to availability and other aspects. Factors affecting the quality of water are briefly reviewed. Particular emphasis was given to the contamination of ground water resources through various human activities. Important literature reports on water quality from India and abroad have been highlighted to stress the need for conservation of the purity of the drinking water sources. The unwarranted scale at which the water resources of the world have been exploited has been given due importance with reference to inputs of chemical and biological wastes freely entering water sources and their subsequent impact on all forms of life in the earth. Ground water has been a very important source of potable water and therefore, the chapter gives a systematic discussion on the causes and factors responsible for infiltration of contaminants to ground water sources. Particular attention was drawn to the harmful effects of solid wastes on drinking water quality and the eventual ill effects on animals and plants. The chapter includes a comprehensive review of the situation in India through a discussion of the significant contributions from various...