Fighting against POLLUTION to Save Environment
Fighting against POLLUTION to Save Environment
J. Environ. Bio., 3(3), 113 – 117, 1982.
D. B. BORALKAR, R. K. TRIVEDY, S. G. PATHAK,
A. M. DESHMUKH and M. A. PATIL
Department of Pollution, Science College, Karad- 415 110 (India).
(Received : February 2, 1981) (Accepted : June 29, 1981)
The present study was carried out to assess the salinity of the soil along the banks of the Krishna river in the state of Maharashtra for which soil samples were collected at 10 spots covering 562 km² area and studied for pH, conductance, moisture, organic matter, alkalinity, chloride, sulphate, sodium, potassium, calcium and total microflora. Study indicated an increasing trend of salinity with increase in downstream distance from the source and soil salinity was higher in deep black soil with distinct patches of salt affected land in very recent past.
The irrigation projects, particularly diversion of the river water by construction of weirs etc. enhance the process of salt build up in the river water (Masters, 1974; Skogerboe, 1975). This water which is rich in salinity when used in agriculture accelerates the salt accumulation process in the soils as a result of evapotranspiration thereby polluting the soils and making them unfit for crop growth for ever. The conditions get aggravated when coupled with poor drainage facilities. Such problems have been studied by many workers (Paliwal, 1971; Pringle et al, 1975; Naik, 1975; Kovda, 1978). The present study was carried out to assess the salinity of the soil along the banks of the Krishna river in this state.
Important features of the sampling area are described in Table 1. Soil samples, 2 cm below the surface were collected randomly from five places
© The Academy of Environmental Biology, India. Printed in India.
Table 1 : IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE SAMPLING SPOTS ALONG THE KRISHNA RIVER IN THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA.
| S.N. | Name | Distance from the source (km) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dhom | 20 | A dam is constructed on the Krishna river. Agricultural practices along the banks but less of sugarcane. |
| 2 | Mahuli | 45 | Situated at the confluence of the Krishna and the Venna river. Little agriculture nearby. |
| 3 | Rahimatpur | 60 | Little irrigation facility and less agriculture. Soil rich in gravel. |
| 4 | Umbraj | 80 | Situated at the confluence of the Krishna and Tarale river. Little agriculture but some sugarcane cultivation. Soil with gravels. |
| 5 | Karad | 100 | Situated at the confluence of the Krishna and Koyna. Extensive sugarcane cultivation. Weir is constructed. Sewage of the city is discharged frequently. |
| 6 | Takari | 125 | Weir is constructed. Extensive sugarcane cultivation. Effluents of sugar and alcohol industry are discharged. |
| 7 | Bbilawadi | 170 | Extensive sugarcane cultivation. More than 250 hectares of land affected by salinity in last two years. |
| 8 | Sangli | 214 | Extensive sugarcane cultivation. Industrial and city wastes discharged in the river. |
| 9 | Gbalwad | 244 | Extensive sugarcane cultivation. More than 400 hectares of land is affected due to salt build-up in last two years. |
| 10 | Narsinhawadi | 261 | Extensive sugarcane cultivation, popular pilgrimage center. |
at each spot and mixed. They were air dried and passed through 6 mm mesh. Organic matter was estimated as per method of Misra(1968). 1:5 soil extract was used for the estimation of pH (Systronics Gnph pH meter, Model, 303); conductivity (Systronics Direct Reading Conductivity Meter,Model,303); alkalinity, chloride and sulphate (ISI, 1974) and sodium, potassium and calcium (Elico Flame photometer, Model CL 22 A) of the soil. Soil extract-agar medium was used for the determination of standard palte count for bacteria. All the analyses were done atleast for five times for each sample and mean of five estimations are presented in the table 2.