Physico-Chemical and Bacteriological Characteristics of Noyyal River and Ground Water Quality of Perur, India

Abstract

The study was conducted to findout the physico-chemical and bacteriological characteristics of Noyyal River and ground water quality of Perur, India. The river water and ground water (bore well and open well) samples were collected in and around Perur and analyzed for various physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters. The study indicated that the mean value of studied parameters, except phosphate, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the river water and ground water samples were within the permissible limit. The parameters include total suspended solids (TSS- 132.2 mgl-1), BOD (9.55 mgl-1), COD (19.28 mgl-1), phosphate (PO4 2-- 1.58 mgl-1) and total nitrogen (TN- 2.04 mgl-1) of the river water sample were found higher when compared to the ground water samples. The bacteriological study showed that the total heterotrphic bacteria (THB - 124.4 x 103 CFU/ml), Total Coliforms (TC-2600 MPN/10ml), Faecal Coliforms (FC-1750 MPN/10ml), Faecal Streptococci (FS- 120 MPN/10ml) and FC/FS ratio (14.6) in the river water samples were found to be greater than the standard WHO limits. The generic distribution in the samples revealed that the presence of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, Enterobacter, Streptococci, Bacillus and Micrococcus were predominant in river water samples. The river water was found to be unfit for human consumption due to the exceeding level of Coliforms. The quality of ground water around Noyyal River was found to be safe and utilizable for cultivation purposes. If the quality management is properly maintained, the river water could be utilized for a wide range of application viz, irrigation, drinking etc.