Indra Gandhi Cannal and Ground Water Quality of Surrounding Areas

Abstract

The increasing spread of salinity and water logging in the Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana (IGNP) command area has become a major environmental and agricultural concern. High temperatures in the region, combined with large amounts of salts soluble in water that exist in the soil and intense evaporation and transpiration, have accelerated the process of secondary salinization. As a result, salts are gradually accumulating both on surface of soil and within deeper soil stratum. In addition, the presence of an impenetrable subsurface layer and the absence of adequate drainage systems for removing excess surface water have led to a continuous rise in the groundwater table, which ultimately causes waterlogging. These conditions threaten the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the IGNP region, as increasing soil salinity adversely affects crop productivity. With time, large areas of land have become unsuitable for farming.

The quality of water is largely affected by the nature and chemical composition of the underlying bedrock, particularly in the case of groundwater. Therefore, evaluating water quality requires a careful analysis of both its physical and chemical parameters. Physical characteristics of water include properties such as turbidity, taste, odour, colour, temperature, total dissolved solids, and electrical conductivity. On the other hand, chemical characteristics are determined by parameters such as hydrogen ion concentration (pH), acidity, alkalinity, chlorides, residual chlorine, sulphates, nitrogen compounds, fluorides, and trace metals like copper, iron, zinc, and manganese. In addition, indicators such as dissolved oxygen (DO) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) are also measured to assess the chemical condition and overall health of the water.