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Volume 1, Issue 1, January-June 2016
Hydrochemical Classification and Quality Characterization of Surface Water for Irrigation Purposes in parts
of Sirsa Watershed, Nalagarh Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India
Rajkumar Herojeet, Madhuri S. Rishi, Renu L, Tenzin T, Konchok D
Department of Environment Studies
Panjab University, Chandigarh
email- [email protected]
_____________________________________________________________________________
ABSTRACT
Sirsa River is the main river that flows through the central part of the Nalagarh valley; belong to the rapid industrial
belt of Baddi, Barotiwala and Nalagarh (BBN). Due to careless disposal of industrial effluents both treated and
partially treated as well as untreated waste, municipal sewage and agricultural run-off along Sirsa watershed has
limited self purification capacity to assimilate the pollution load. In the present study water quality was determined
from the different tributaries and main stream of Sirsa River. Surface water of the study area was analyzed for
irrigation purpose on the basis of Electrical Conductivity (EC), Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Residual Sodium
Carbonate (RSC), Permeability Index (PI) and Percent Sodium (% Na+). The overall water quality in the study area
was suitable for irrigation purposes during both seasons. Classification of hydrochemical facies of surface water
revealed that majority of samples belong to the Ca2+-Mg2+-HCO 3 - water types.
Key words: Industrial Effluent, Surface Water, Sirsa River, SAR, %Na, Hydrochemical Facies
INTRODUCTION
Water is one of the most precious natural resources, without which it is impossible to sustain life. India has 4% of
water resources of the world, while it has to support 16% of world population and 15% of livestock (GoI, 2012).
India receives an average annual rainfall equivalent to about 4,000 billion cubic meters (BCM). This only source of
water is unevenly distributed both spatially as well as temporally (Engleman and Roy, 1993). The estimated
precipitation during the monsoon season (June to September) is of the order of 3000 BCM. Of 4,000 BCM of
available water from precipitation, the mean flow in the country’s rivers is about 1,900 BCM. Rivers are a muchcherished feature of the natural world. They perform countless vital functions in both societal and ecosystem terms.
The quality of a river at any point reflects major influences, including the lithology of the basin, atmospheric inputs,
climatic conditions and anthropogenic inputs (Reza and Singh, 2010). Water pollution is a major global concern
(UNEP, 2000) and threat to aquatic ecosystems as stated in the Ministerial declaration of the 2nd World Water
Forum (2000). Industrialization is considered the cornerstone of development strategies due to its significant
contribution to the economic growth and human welfare, but it carries inevitable costs and problems in terms of
pollution of the air and water resources (Kannj and Achi, 2011). Industries turn out wastes which are peculiar in
terms of type, volume and frequency depending on the type of industry and population that uses the product
(Odumosu, 1992). In India, industrial effluents both untreated/ partially treated waste water may contain toxic
compounds often get mixed with domestic sewage enter into the surface water body, they get dissolved or lie
suspended in water and contamination of crops grown on polluted water. Nalagarh valley represents a portion of the
southernmost expanse of Solan district; belongs to the rapid industrial belt of Baddi, Barotiwala and Nalagarh
(BBN). The valley has been rated as fastest industrial growth in the last decade owing to the special packages of
incentives granted by the Central government which act as a catalyst in boosting industrial development in the state,
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particularly in the BBN area (Herojeet et al, 2013). Sirsa River is the main river that flows through the central part
of the Nalagarh Valley. Large and small scale industrial development along with urbanization has taken place
randomly all over the Sirsa river catchment area in the last two decades. This results in the high industrial as well as
domestic load in the Sirsa watershed. Hence, it is necessary to determine the Sirsa river quality for irrigation
purposes.
STUDY AREA
Nalagarh valley forms a South-Eastern narrow prolongation of a great outermost Himalayan intermountain valley
area of about 230 sq. km. It lies between Northern latitudes of 30°52’ to 31°04’ and Eastern longitudes of 76°40’ to
76°55’. The valley is having common border with Haryana towards south-east i.e. Kalka-Pinjor area and with
Punjab towards south-west i.e. Ropar district. Sirsa river is perennial river which flows southwesterly in the area and
joins Sutlej 10 kilometers upstream of Ropar (Fig.1). There are numerous perennial and ephemeral streams
emerging from the NE flank passing through industrial belt often loaded with industrial and sewage discharges and
transverse flow across the valley, to join Sirsa nadi (CGWB, 1975). The important streams among them are Chikni
nadi, Phula nadi, Ratta nadi, Balad nadi and Surajpur chao. The discharge in the streams fluctuates in accordance
with the climatic conditions. During the monsoon, the streams are flooded and carry enormous load of sediment and
deposited them in the flood plain of the valley.
Fig. 1. Map showing the study area and sampling points in parts of Sirsa Watershed
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Twelve sampling points were selected along and across the Sirsa river from upperstream to downstream at about 1.9
km interval and 6 sampling location were identified along its tributaries flowing around the industrial sector to
identify the impacts of industrial activities on the quality of surface water. 18 samples were collected during pre
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monsoon (May 2012) and post monsoon (October 2012) seasons. Good qualities, air tight plastic bottles with cover
lock were used for sample collection and safe transfer to the laboratory for analysis. The standard procedures of
sampling were adopted and preservatives were added as per nature of analysis during the collection of these
samples. At the time of sampling, bottles were thoroughly rinsed two to three times with water to be sampled.
Samples were analysed as per the standard methods (APHA, 2002) within a short period of time to get a more
reliable and accurate results. Physical parameters like EC, pH, TDS were measured on the spot at the time of sample
collection using potable kit. Analysis were done for major cations (Na+, K+,Ca2+, andMg2+), anions (HCO3−, Cl−,
SO 4 2− ,PO 4
3−
and NO−3 ), DO, BOD and Total Coliform (TC) using standard methods enlisted (APHA, 2002). Ca2+,
Mg2+, CO 3 2- and HCO 3 2- were analysed by titration. Na+ and K+ were measured by flame photometry and NO 3 - and
SO 4 2- by U.V. Spectrophotometer, BOD was measured by Winkler’s method and TC were measured with Most
Probable Number (MPN) Index. Mean value was calculated for each parameter, with standard deviation being used
as an indication of the precision of each parameter.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
SURFACE WATER SUITABILITY FOR IRRIGATION PURPOSES
Surface water is an easily assessable resource where human being is utilizing it for different purposes depending on
their necessity. The quality of water for irrigation varies substantially, depending principally upon the salinity, soil
permeability, toxicity and some miscellaneous concerns such as excessive nitrogen loading or unusual pH of water.
Chemical quality of water is a significant factor to evaluate the suitability of water for irrigation (Gupta 1989). The
concentration and composition of dissolved constituents in water determine its suitability for irrigation use.
Suitability of water for irrigation purposes depended on the effect of some mineral constituents in the water on both
the soil and the plant (Wilcox, 1955). The suitability of surface water for irrigation in the study area is classified on
the basis of a) Electrical Conductivity (EC), b) Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), c) Residual Sodium Carbonate
(RSC), d) Permeability Index (PI), e) Percent Sodium (% Na) are given in table 2.
Table 2. Irrigation Quality Parameters for Surface Water Samples from Sirsa River
S no.
Locations
Surajpur Chao
Lahorandi
Pre monsoon
EC
SAR
428
0.20
554
0.22
RSC
-2.84
-4.74
PI
32.10
24.76
% Na
7.27
6.28
Post monsoon
EC
SAR
429
0.28
449
0.28
SW1
SW2
RSC
-5.34
-5.35
PI
23.81
23.77
% Na
7.52
7.35
SW3
SW4
SW5
SW6
SW7
SW8
SW9
SW10
SW11
SW12
SW13
SW14
SW15
SW16
SW17
SW18
Khokara
Balad Nadi
Thapal
Sitalpur
Sandholi Nala
Kaindawal
Beriyan
Ratna Nadi
Churni
Phula Nadi
Main Stream + Phula Nadi
Handi kundi
Nahar Singh
Chikini Nadi U/S
Chikini Nadi D/S
Saini Majra
725
890
745
740
1490
1365
1570
1188
1555
684
1520
1389
1350
705
1229
1311
-1.51
-5.91
-2.61
-1.09
-5.22
-1.73
-2.93
-7.15
-7.92
-3.32
-1.42
-2.46
-3.49
-3.66
-4.76
-3.63
48.16
22.15
39.15
54.16
54.31
68.58
77.15
24.27
52.62
34.47
77.01
71.22
70.50
32.92
53.64
66.61
14.20
5.36
14.08
17.45
43.66
51.89
68.33
12.41
44.93
12.79
62.34
58.55
60.57
11.16
41.67
55.87
560
454
534
522
1512
733
998
796
967
616
1015
966
954
750
713
888
-4.58
-4.88
-6.47
-4.26
-5.22
-6.72
-4.933
-5.97
-4.75
-4.87
-5.9
-2.74
-5.13
-3.91
-2.76
-2.31
31.24
29.20
24.57
32.60
54.31
29.92
53.41
28.26
51.14
33.98
44.54
65.45
51.89
40.28
47.34
66.38
12.62
13.18
10.44
13.93
43.66
17.33
41.65
13.26
38.68
18.25
31.84
51.43
40.13
22.89
25.92
50.86
0.40
0.20
0.45
0.48
2.90
2.93
6.72
0.49
3.61
0.42
4.45
4.20
5.08
0.40
2.60
4.18
0.50
0.50
0.45
0.53
2.90
0.80
2.66
0.57
2.28
0.77
1.73
3.26
2.53
0.94
1.08
2.99
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Electrical Conductivity (EC)
Electrical Conductivity (EC) is the ability of water to conduct electric current flowed and this is further a function of
temperature, types of ion present and their concentration (Walton, 1970). It is related to salinity and it affects
availability of water to crops. The water of different degree of salinity can be demarcated by TDS for domestic and
irrigation purposes. The excess of salts content is one of the major concerns with water used for irrigation. All
sampling points found suitable with respect to EC for irrigation purposes. According to Wilcox Classification
(Wilcox, 1955), 38.89% water samples in the study area lie under good water class (250-750 µS/cm) and 61.11%
under permissible class (750-2000 µS/cm) during pre monsoon and 55.55% lie under good class and 44.44% under
permissible class during post monsoon. During the period of investigation, all the surface water samples fall under
good and permissible class, thus may be considered safe for irrigation purposes (Table 3). The primary effect of high
EC reduces the osmotic activity of plants and thus interferes with the absorption of water and nutrients from the soil.
In general, conductivity in pre-monsoon season is high as compared to post-monsoon season because in the postmonsoon season dilution of water occurs which lowers down the value of conductivity.
Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR)
The Na or Alkali hazard is expressed in terms of sodium adsorption ratio (Gholami and Srikantaswamy, 2009). SAR
measures sodicity in terms of the relative concentration of sodium ions to the sum of calcium and magnesium ions in
a water sample. Sodium concentration in water effects deterioration of the soil properties reducing permeability
(Richard, 1954 and Kelly, 1951). Sodium replacing adsorbed calcium and magnesium is a hazard as it causes
damage to the soil structure resulting in compact and impervious soil. Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) is an
important parameter for determination of suitability of irrigation water (Todd, 1980) and is expressed as below:
Where the ionic concentrations are expressed in meq/l. The waters were classified in relation to irrigation based on
the ranges of SAR values (U.S. Salinity Laboratory, 1954). As per USSL classification, all the samples of the study
area have been classified as excellent for irrigation (SAR value <10) as shown in table 3. In the present study SAR
value range from 0.24 to 4.02 during pre monsoon and 0.27 to 4.02 for post monsoon.
US Salinity Diagram
The correlation between sodium-absorption ratio and electrical conductivity were plotted on the US salinity diagram
(Wilcox 1948). The entire water sample in the study area falls under C2-S1 (Medium Salinity with Low Sodium)
i.e., 38.89%, C3-S1 (High Salinity with Low Sodium) i.e., 50% and C3-S2 (High Salinity with Medium Sodium)
i.e., 5.56%. during pre monsoon whereas 55.56% of water samples belongs to C2-S1 (Medium Salinity with Low
Sodium) and 44.44% falls to C3-S1(High Salinity with Low Sodium) during post monsoon [Fig. 2 (a) and (b)].
During the period of investigation, the maximum amount of water samples belongs to medium to high salinity
hazard with low sodicity hazard except for one sample in pre monsoon falls to high sodicity. Hence the waters
tested in the study area are satisfactory for irrigation use in almost all soil types with slight chance of developing
harmful levels of exchangeable sodium.
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(a) Pre monsoon
Percent Sodium (%Na)
(b) Post monsoon
Fig. 2. USSL classification of Surface Water in the study area
Percent Sodium is another important factor to study sodium hazard because sodium react with soil and as a result
clogging of particles takes place there by reducing the permeability (Todd, 1980; Domenico and Schwartz, 1990).
Soils containing a large proportion of sodium with carbonate as the predominant anion are termed alkali soils; those
with chloride or sulfate as the predominant anion are saline soils. The use of high % Na+ water for irrigation
purposes stunts the plant growth. Hence, air and water circulation is restricted during wet conditions, and such soils
become usually hard when dry (Saleh et al, 1999). It is calculated by the following formula (Wilcox, 1955):
% Na+ = [(Na+ + K+) / (Ca2+ + Mg2+ + Na- + K+) x 100]
Where the ionic concentrations are expressed in meq/l. The percent sodium values in the study area vary from 5.36
meq/l to 68.33 meq/l with mean value 32.71 meq/l and 7.35 meq/l to 51.43 meq/l with mean value 25.61 meq/l
during both seasons.
Wilcox Diagram
Wilcox (1955) classified water for irrigation purposes by correlating percent sodium and electrical conductivity. A
perusal of Wilcox diagram shows that 7samples (38.89%) fall under excellent to good class, 7 samples (38.89%)
under good to permissible class and 4 samples (22.33%) under permissible to doubtful class for pre monsoon
whereas 55.56%, and 44.46% belong to excellent to good and good to permissible during post monsoon[Fig. 3(a)
and (b)]. Hence, it is observed that most of the water samples belong to excellent to permissible class for both
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seasons except for few samples in pre monsoon falls under doubtful class, may be due to mixing load of untreated
effluent from various industrial unit (Kamaldeep et al, 2011; Herojeet et al, 2016) and sewage when the volume of
water is significantly lesser (Table 3). It clearly indicates that water samples are suitable for irrigation purpose.
(a)Pre monsoon
(b) Post monsoon
Fig. 3. Wilcox diagram of Surface water in the study area
Doneen’s Permeability Index (PI)
The soil permeability is affected by long term of irrigation water. It is influenced by sodium, calcium, magnesium
and bicarbonate contents of the soil (Chandu et al, 1995). Doneen’s (1964) has developed a criteria for examining
the suitability of water for irrigation on soil based on permeability index (PI).
Na++√HCO 3 PI= ----------------------- X100
Ca2+ +Mg2+ +Na+
Where all the ionic concentrations are expressed in meq/l. According to this classification, the water is good for
irrigation if it belongs to class I and II water with 75% or more of maximum permeability. Class III waters are
unsuitable with 25% of maximum permeability is presented in table 3. WHO (1989) uses a criterion for assessing
the suitability of water for irrigation based on the permeability index. In the present study, 16 samples falls in Class I
and the remaining 2 samples belongs to Class II category during pre monsoon, while in post monsoon all the water
samples belongs to Class I category of Doneen’s chart as shown in figure 4 (a) and (b). The variation in the PI is due
to high flow and dilution of water during monsoon season. The PI values ranged between 22.15% to 77.15% during
pre monsoon and 23.77% to 66.38% for post monsoon.
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(a) Pre monsoon
(b) Post monsoon
Fig. 4. Doneen’s Permeability Index for Surface water in the study area
Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC)
Eaton (1950) suggested that water having carbonate and bicarbonate ions in excess of calcium plus magnesium will
lead to much greater alkali formation then is indicated by its SAR and thereby decreasing the soil permeability. The
carbonate and bicarbonate hazards on water quality can be determined in terms of Residual Sodium Carbonate
(RSC) which is define by the following equation (Eaton 1950; Ragunath,1987):
RSC= (CO 3 2- + HCO 3 -) – (Ca2+ + Mg2+)
The concentrations of element are expressed in meq/l. According to Eaton (1950), on the basis of RSC value water
quality is divided into three categories i,e. safe if RSC <1.25 meq/l, marginal quality if RSC 1.25–2.5 meq/l and
unsuitable for irrigation if RSC >2.5 meq/l. If the water contains a high concentration of bicarbonate ions, there may
be tendency for Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions to precipitation in the soil as carbonate. As a consequence, the relative
proportion of sodium increases and gets fixed in the soil permeability, as it causes dissolution of organic matter in
the soil, which in turn leaves a black stain on the soil surface on drying. In this study, RSC value varies from -7.92
meq/l to -1.09 meq/l during pre monsoon and -6.72 meq/l to -2.31 meq/l during post monsoon. It can be safely
concluded that all water sample fall under safe category for irrigation during both season as depicted in Table 3.
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Table 3. Different Criteria for Suitability of Surface water for Irrigation Purposes
S.
No.
Parameters
1.
EC
(Wilcox, 1955)
2.
SAR
(USSL, 1954)
3.
% Na
(Wilcox, 1955)
4.
5.
PI
(Doneen’s,
1964)
RSC
(Eaton, 1950)
Values
Water Class
<250
250-750
750-2000
2000-3000
>3000
10
10-18
18-26
>26
<20
20-40
40-60
60-80
>80
>75%
25 – 75
<25%
Excellent
Good
Permissible
Doubtful
Unsuitable
Excellent
Good
Doubtful
Unsuitable
Excellent
Good
Permissible
Doubtful
Unsuitable
Very Good
Good
Unsuitable
<1.25
1.25-1.5
Water can be used safely
Can
be
used
with
management
Unsuitable for better yields
>2.5
No. of Samples
Pre monsoon Post
monsoon
NIL
NIL
7(38.89%)
10(55.56%)
11(61.11%)
8((44.44%)
NIL
NIL
NIL
NIL
18(100%)
18(100%)
NIL
NIL
NIL
NIL
NIL
NIL
9(50%)
9(50%)
NIL
2(11.11%)
6(33.33%)
7(38.89%)
3(16.67%)
NIL
NIL
NIL
16(88.89%)
18(100%)
2(11.11%)
NIL
NIL
NIL
18(100%)
NIL
18(100%)
NIL
NIL
NIL
HYDROCHEMICAL FACIES FOR SURFACE WATER
Chadha’s diagram is modified as well as improved version of Piper trilinear diagram (Piper, 1944) and the expanded
Durov diagram (Durov, 1948). The Chadha’s diagram has all the advantages of the diamond-shaped field of the
Piper trilinear diagram and can be conveniently used to study various hydrochemical processes. Main advantage of
this diagram is that it can be made simply on most spreadsheet software packages. In the present study, groundwater
and surface water of the study area has been classified as per Chadha’s diagram (Chadha, 1999) and to identify the
evolution of hydrochemical processes. In Chadha’s diagram, the difference in milliequivalent percentage between
alkaline earths (calcium plus magnesium) and alkali metals (sodium plus potassium), expressed as percentage
reacting values, is plotted on the X axis and the difference in milliequivalent percentage between weak acidic anions
(carbonate plus bicarbonate) and strong acidic anions (chloride plus sulphate) is plotted on the Y axis. The
milliequivalent percentage differences between alkaline earth and alkali metals and between weak acidic anions and
strong acidic anions would plot in one of the four possible sub-fields or quadrants of the diagram.
The quadrants field describes the overall character of the water. The four quadrant suggested by Chadha’s graph can
be broadly explained mixing of natural water or recharging water, reverse ion exchange water, end seawater (saline
water) and base ion exchange water. The upper right quadrant formed recharging water (Ca2+ - Mg2+ - HCO 3 -)
where surface runoff or standing water percolates to subsurface aquifers carrying dissolved CO 3 2- or HCO 3 - and
geochemically mobile Mg2+ or Ca2+ ions. Reverse ion exchange belong to lower right quadrant are rarely occur or
less common where water have excess Ca2+ + Mg2+ than Na+ + K+ either due to weathering of mineral or exposed
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bedrock selectively released Ca2+ and Mg2+ or Ca2+ + Mg2+ into solution through reverse base cation exchange
reactions and consequently Na+ bind or adsorption onto minerals or bedrocks surface. The upper left quadrant
represent base ion exchange water of water from Ca2+ - HCO 3 - fresh water type mixed with Na+ - Cl- salinity water
type to produce Na+ - HCO 3 - (carbonate primary salinity) through ion exchange processes. Finally, the lower left
quadrant explain seawater types where commonly occurred to the coastal or bay or estuaries region with Na+ - Cl(non carbonate primary salinity) dominant water type resulting seawater mixing. The diagram can be used to study
various hydro chemical processes, such as base cation exchange, cement pollution, mixing of natural waters,
sulphate reduction, saline water and other related hydro chemical problems. In order to define the primary character
of water, the rectangular field is divided into eight sub-fields, each of which represents a water type (Table 4)
Table 4 Chadha’s Sub-fields and Their Respective Chemical Type of Water
Chadha’s Sub-fields
1
2
3
4
5
Character of Water Types
Alkaline earths exceed alkali metals.
Alkali metals exceed alkaline earths.
Weak acidic anions exceed strong acidic anions.
Strong acidic anions exceed weak acidic anions.
Alkaline earths and weak acidic anions exceed both alkali metals and strong acidic
anions, respectively. Such water has temporary hardness.
Alkaline earths exceed alkali metals and strong acidic anions exceed weak acidic
anions. Such water has permanent hardness and does not deposit residual sodium
carbonate in irrigation use.
Alkali metals exceed alkaline earths and strong acidic anions exceed weak acidic
anions. Such water generally creates salinity problems both in irrigation and drinking
uses.
Alkali metals exceed alkaline earths and weak acidic anions exceed strong acidic
anions. Such waters deposit residual sodium carbonate in irrigation use and cause
foaming problems.
Table 5. Summarized Results of Chadha’s Classification
6
7
8
Classification/ Type
Number of Water Samples
Pre monsoon
Percentage
Post monsoon
Percentage
Group 1 (Ca - Mg -Na - K )
NIL
NIL
NIL
NIL
Group 2 (Na+- K+- Ca2+- Mg2+)
NIL
NIL
NIL
NIL
Group 3 (HCO 3 - Cl -SO 4 )
3
16.67
2
11.11
Group 4 (SO 4 2-- - HCO 3 --Cl-)
NIL
NIL
NIL
NIL
11
61.11
16
88.89
Group 6 (Ca - Mg - Cl -SO 4 )
NIL
NIL
NIL
NIL
Group 7 (Na+- K+- Cl--SO 4 2-)
NIL
NIL
NIL
NIL
4
22.22
NIL
NIL
2+
2+
-
+
-
2+
2+
2+
2+
+
2-
-
Group 5 (Ca - Mg - HCO )
+
+
-
-
Group 8 (Na - K - HCO )
2-
The results of chadha’s classification for surface water observed that during pre monsoon season 12 samples
(66.67%) fall in recharge water Group 5 (Ca2+- Mg2+ - HCO 3 - type or Ca2+-Mg2+ dominant HCO 3 - type or HCO 3 dominant Ca2+-Mg2+ type) indicates temporary hardness and 6 samples (33.33%) in base ion exchange Group 8
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(Na+- K+- HCO 3 - type or Na+- K+ dominant HCO 3 - type or HCO 3 - dominant Na+- K+ type) depicts alkali carbonate
enrichment water type by dissolution or weathering of silicate mineral characterize primary salinity (Herojeet et al.
2016). However, 16 samples (88.89%) fall in recharge water Group 5 (Ca2+ - Mg2+ - HCO 3 -) except for 2 samples
(11.11%) belong to base ion exchange Group 8 (Na+- K+- HCO 3 - type) during post monsoon [Fig. 5 (a and b) and
Table 5]. It is evident from Chadha’s diagram that there was temporal variation in surface water chemistry as certain
samples contains a high concentration of bicarbonate ions to precipitate Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions which may deposit
residual sodium carbonate in irrigation use and cause foaming problems during pre monsoon and post monsoon.
(b) Post monsoon
(a) Pre monsoon
Fig. 5. Diagram Showing Chadha’s Classification of Surface Water
CONCLUSION
The surface water sample collected from the Sirsa river and its tributary were appraised for their chemical
composition and suitability for irrigation purposes. Wilcox classification show all the surface water samples fall
under good and permissible class. As per USSL, the maximum amount of water samples belongs to medium to high
salinity hazard with low sodicity hazard and class I category indicating maximum permeability with respect to
Doneen’s chart. Based on the overall assessment of the parameters mentioned above, it can be concluded that
surface water samples from the study area are suitable for irrigation. Chadha’s diagram reveal that surface water
chemistry as certain samples contains a high concentration of bicarbonate ions to precipitate Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions
which may deposit residual sodium carbonate in irrigation use and cause foaming problems during pre monsoon and
post monsoon. Industrial ecology and environmental friendly consumption will be sustainable solution to the
problem of water pollution and increasing demand of water resources in this industrial belt.
Acknowledgement
The authors are thankful to the Chairperson, Department of Environment Studies and Department of Geology
(CAS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, for providing necessary research facilities.
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Reference
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American Public and Health Association
CGWB (1975) Report on the groundwater exploration in the parts of intermontane Sirsa valley, Nalagarh Teshil,
Solan District, Himachal Pradesh, Unpub. pp.1-42
Chadha DK (1999) A proposed new diagram for geochemical classification of natural waters and interpretation of
chemical data. Hydrogeology Journal 7(5):431-439
Chandru SN, Subbarao NV, Prakash SR (1995) Suitability of Groundwater for Domestic and Irrigation purposes in
some parts of Jansi District, U.P. Bhujal News 10(1):12-17
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