Nutrient Chemistry of River Yamuna,India

Abstract

Water samples were collected and analyzed for dissolved nutrient concentration and organic carbon in the Yamuna river system, from June 2014 to March 2015. pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC) and Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration varied (Mean ± SD) in study area as 7.33 ± 0.68, 489 ± 305.3 (mg l⁻¹), 983.7 ± 617.4 (μs/cm) and 5.85 ± 3.41 (mg l⁻¹). Annual average concentrations and standard deviation of nitrate (NO₃-N), nitrite (NO₂-N), ammonium (NH₄-N), phosphate (PO₄-P), silica (SiO₂-Si) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC-C) were 0.48 ± 0.64, 0.14 ± 0.30, 2.43 ± 2.86, 0.43 ± 0.59, 3.22 ± 1.67 and 4.74 ± 2.57 (mg l⁻¹), respectively in the Yamuna river system. The annual flux of nutrients from the Yamuna River for dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), phosphate (PO₄-P), dissolved silica (SiO₂-Si), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC-C) were 43.5×10⁴, 6.14×10⁴, 40.9×10⁴, 61.7×10⁴ t year⁻¹ respectively. The positive values of the indicator of coastal eutrophication potential (ICEP) for both nitrogen and phosphate indicates an excess of nitrogen and phosphorus over silica in the Yamuna river water. Therefore, nutrient load from the Yamuna river system have the potential to create eutrophication problem in Ganga river.