CHAPTER- 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Bharalu River

I. 1.1 General Description

The Bharalu is a small tributary of the Brahmaputra

on its southern bunk. It is flowing through the heart of

Guwahati (the capital city of Assam, India) through densely

populated residential, industrial and commercial areas to

meet the mighty BrahmapuLra at Bharalumukh. The Bharalu

carries a large portion of the city's municipal as well as

other wastes and it also serves as the natural drainage for

stormwater runoff. As the Biuhmaputra is Lhe main source of

drinking water for Guwahati and for the whole valley, it is

important that the inputs to the river through the

tributaries are not excessively loaded with pollutants.

People generally consider the Bharalu water to be extremely

Li Ithy and polluted and therefore, it is regarded as one oL

th^ major sources of contamination affecting the overall

quality of the Brahmaputra water. The study of the quality

of the Bharalu water itself thus demands necessary attention.

1.1.2 Origin and course

Originating in the foothills of the Khasi Hills of

Meghalaya, the Bharalu enters Guwahati through the south­

eastern corner. It is known as the Bahini or Bihini in its

 2

upper reaches. The Bahini finds its way through thickly

inhabited areas of Basistha, Rcl tola Tcngora Satra, Rukminl-

gaon, Mathura Nagar, Dispur. Hengerabari, Ganeshguri and

then along the R.G. Barua Road. The Bahini, as the Rharalu

is known, meets a major drain (carrying stormwater runoff

from the public sector Guwahati Refinery, Indian Oil

Corporation Limited and domestic wastewater from a large

area in the eastern part of the city) near the Assam State

Zoo and thereafter assumes the name, Bharalu. At this point,

the Bharalu makes a sharp westerly turn, crosses the R.G.

Barua Road and flows through a dense residential area

consisting of Rajgarh, Saraniya and other areas. The river

then crosses the G.S. Road at Bhangagarh and flows past

Ulubari, Fatashil and Kumarpara prior to joining the

Brahmapura at Bharalumukh. The Bharalu runs through

predominantly alluvial soil throughout its course. The river

and its catchment area starting from Basistha is shown in

Fig. 1.1.

1.1.3 Catchment and other features

The Lotal catchment area <>i the Bharalu Is ahoul 120

sq. km. which is almost equally divided between the hill

region and the plains. 1L Is estimated that the river drains

an area of 10.94 sq. km. of the city.'*' The catchment area

has seen a verv rapid urhanisa) Ion In recent v^ars and Ihe
F I G . 1-1. THE BHARALU AND ITS CATCHMENT AREA.
 4

river has detoured to a large extent due to unabated

encroachment and ever-increasing dumping of garbage into it.

Between Basistha and Bharalumukh the river has a

stretch of nearly 10.2 km and a bed width of 5 to 9 metres.

The depth of flow is not uniform, the average depth being

about 3 metres. The velocity of flow is estimated at 0.76

m/sec for the stretch between Rasistha and R.G. Barua road

and 1.07-1.37 m/sec for the rest of the course. The average

discharge level at Bharalumukh is 71,500 litres/scc. The

Flood Control and Irrigation Department of the Govt, of

Assam has erected a sluice structure near the Pragjyotish

College at Bharalumukh to regulate the discharge level,

particularly to stop reverse flow from the Brahmaputra

during high floods.

1.1.4 Inputs

The Bharalu receives and carries stormwater runoff

from the whole of its catchment area. The wastewater from

all the houses, commercial establishments, small and medium

industrial units on the catchment area is also discharged

into the Bharalu.

The large inputs of sul1 age water comes through a

number of major drains meeting the Bharalu at various

points. A few of these drains are -

 5

(i) A drain, carrying stormwater runoff from the Cuwahati

Refinery, meets the Bharalu at R.G. Barua Road. This

drain also collects on its way domestic waste-water

from New Guwahati Railway Colony, Bamunimaidan,

Jyotinagar, Krishnanagar, Narikalbasti and other

areas.

tii) A drain originating from the All India Radio complex

at Chandmari and passing through the thickly populated

areas of Chandmari, Rajgarh and Krishnanagar,

discharges into the Bharalu at the eastern side of the

Rajgarh Bridge near Bhangagarh.

(iiij Another drain, carrying wastewater from Lachitnagar,

Pub-Sarania and Gandhibasti areas, runs under the road

in front of the Banikanta B.T. College and meets the

Bharalu at the western side of the Rajgarh bridge near

Bhangagarh.

(iv) A drain originating in the Nabagraha-Silpukhuri areas

and passing along the northern side of the railway

line, crosses the railway line and the B. Barooah Road

near stadium over-bridge, passes through the highly

commercial Paltanbazar area and after crossing the

G.S. Road, discharges into the Chalabeel near the

Meghdoot Cinema. This Chalabeel. (natural reservoir and

wetland) is connected to the river Bharalu via a

culvert over the SatL Joymati Road near Chabipul L.P.

 6

School. This drain brings in the wastewater from the

entire Nabagraha, Silpukhuri and Hedayatpur areas.

(v) A natural rivulet, coming out of the Khasi Hills,

enters Guwahati near the CRPF complex at Khanapara and

runs along the eastern side of the G.S. Road. The

rivulet collects wastewater from the Assam

Agricultural University campus and the Agriculture

Department complex at Khanapara, crosses the Six Mile-

Narengi Road at Juripaar and after flowing through

Panjabari and other areas discharges into a small

natural, basin, which in turn is connected to the

Bharalu near the road to llengerabarl..

(vi) Another major drain, extending from the G.N.B. Road to

the Barchalabeel, discharges into the Bharalu after

carrying wastewater from Panbazar, Police Reserve and

Paltanbazar areas.

Besides these, a large number of small drains flow

to the Bharalu all along its course. The approximate

location of the major draLns and their outlet points to the

Bharalu are shown in Fig. 1.2.

A large number of motor garages and automobile

service centres,the Railway Diesel Loco Shed at New Guwahati

and the ASTC. Transport Workshop at Ulubari discharge (heir

wastewater into the Bharalu. Effluents from a number of

flour, rice, oil and saw mills, brass, steel and leather
t>;- i c a
JCR INPUTS TO THE 9HARALU F!YS?' !N THE C= N ~ AREA OF G U WA HA T I C ITY.
7
works, carbon products industry, bamboo and cane industries,

metal products, candle industries, printing and binding

works, hospitals and nursing homes, cinemas, photographic

studios, hotels and restaurants, vegetable and other markets

enter the Bharalu.

In the rainy season, the inputs far exceed the capa­

city of the Bharalu. FurLher, low lying <11.Lehrs and c h a n n e l s

within local drainage patterns lead to frequent overflooding

of the adjoining areas due to inefficient hydraulic capacity

and sullage water spread. Indiscriminate construction

activities in low lying areas by blocking the natural

drainage channels and reservoirs has resulted in such

conditions.

1.1.5 Drainage capacity and future strategy

The Bharalu has an average level of 48.8 metres above

mid-sea level (msl) whereas the ground surface within the

municipal area is nowhere below 49.5 m. The difference

between the ground level and the river level is too small

for drainage efficiency. It has been estimated^' that the

Bharalu water level has to be brought down to 47.0 m. when

the drains can discharge at an elevation of 48.8 m without

ground flooding. Bringing down the level of the Bharalu

will create additional storage capacity and will help to

moderate floods. In future planning strategy, a part of the

 9

Bharalu water will be diverted to the Mora Bharalu when the

Bharalu level reaches 48.0 in. To prevent reverse flow from

the Brahmaputra during high flood, the Bharalu water has to

be disconnected with the Brahmaputra (at the sluice

structure) as soon as the Brahmaputra river level becomes

45.1 m. Such disconnection has to be operational for as

long as a month in a stretch during the monsoons and this

will call for an alternative strategy to pump out the

71,500 litres/sec outflow of the Bharalu at peak level which

will otherwise submerge the catchment area.

In absence of such measures, it has become a

constant feature during the monsoons that a large amount of

the Brahmaputra water enters the city via the Bharalu and

submerges a large area of Rhnral timukh, Rumarpnrn and

Shantipur. The flood water, mixed with the normal

waste-water flow of the Bharalu, enter the households and

there is every likelihood of contaminating the various

drinking water sources.

1.2 Guwahati and its environment

1.2.1 General features

Guwahati (26.06 N, 91.33 H ) city is bounded by the

Brahmaputra on the North, the Khasi Hills range on the South

and the East, and the Jal ukbari-Azara plains on the West.
The average elevation is 54 m above msl. The city is
 10

Interspersed with n number of hills : (i) the Khnrgbul1 and

the Chunchali Hills (maximum height 216 m) on the East, (ii)

the Jnpnrigog, the Ncelachnl and the FaLashil Hills on the

South, and (iii) the Kamakhya Hills (Maximum height 303 m)

on the middle. The Dipar Reel, a huge natural reservoir of

water and its adjoining wetlands, is a prominent feature of

the Ja1ukbari-Azara plains. The Master Plan areas of the

city, excluding North Guwahati and Amingaon areas, is shown

in Fig. 1.3.

Being the largest urban agglomeration in the entire

North East India, the population of Guwahati has grown very

rapidly. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation, limited to the

southern bank of the Brahmaputra, has an area of about 216

sq. km in the total area of 262 sq. km for the Master Plan

area and has a population of 5,77,591 as per 1991 census.

The average annual growth rate of population during 1971-91

is 9.47,. The density of population per square kilometre is

more than 460 against the all Trid Ia average of 267.

The land-use pattern for Guwahati as envisaged by

% 2
the Town and Country Planning Department is presented in

Fig. 1.4. Water bodies, hills and low-lying areas constitute

respectively 8.54, 23.04 and 6.647, of the total ar^a while

2 4 . 637, (6450 hectares) has been currently under various

uses. The major uses are listed below :

-iG. 1-3. M AS TE R P LAN AREA OF GUV/A HAT I WITH MAJOR PH YSICAL r S A T U R E S .
 'T

(0
u.
LAN D-U SE PATTERN GF G'JWAHATI.
12
 Residential dwelling 2908 hectares

Transport and 1072 5 3

communication

Offices and establi­ 914 3 »

shments
Indus t ri a 1 406 *t
Commercial 292 3 3

Parks and playgrounds 27 5 5

Miscel1aneous 829 5 3

Total 64778“ hecta res

Guwahati is also the centre for commerce and

industry for the entire region. Fancy bazar - Machkhowa -

Athgaon - A.T. Road area, Pal tan bazar - Ulubari area and

Beltola area have become the centres of wholesale and retail

business activities. Food and vegetable markets have sprung

up in every nook and corner of the city. Motor garages and

repair shops are mostly located along the G.S. Road, G.N.R.

Road, R.G. Barua Road, A.T.Road (particularly Adabari area)

and Nil 37 (Bel Lola area). lloLels are concentrated al Pal tan

bazar, Fancy bazar, Panbazar, Kedar Road, Ganeshguri and

Beltola areas. All these generate a large amount of garbage

every day.

There is no recent census of industries in Guwahati.

According to the 1981 census, there were 669 units of which

the break-up was

2% 66 2 if
 14

Metal products 19.73%

Chemicals 17.34%

Paper products and printing 15.40%

Repair and servicing 11.5%

Wood products 9.72%

Food products 6.58%

The number of industries has increased considerably

since 1981 but the distribution has remained almost the

same. The growth of industries within the city can be gene­

rally described as haphazard and environmentally unsafe.

On the average, about 75000 vehicles ply each day on

the inner city roads. The volume of slow moving vehicles

like rickshaws, cycles, handcarts, etc. is also quite large.

More than four thousand trucks enter the city everyday

carrying foodstuff and other goods. This is in addition to

the service rendered by the Railways. A large number of

commuters are carried to and from the city everyday by about

2000 buses from North and South Kamrup alone. Impact of

vehicular emissions and spillages on the quality of the

city's water resources is likely to be significant.

J.2.2 Water supply, Sewerage and drainage

There is no integrated grid for supply of water. The

Municipal Corporation runs two water treatment pi ants while

Lhe I'ubJ ie Ileal tli lingl nee r Ing Department maintains separate
 15

water supply schemes for Guwahati Medical College, Gauhati

University, Dispur Capital Complex and Khanfapara Agriculture

University campus. The Refinery township at Noonmati and the

Railway township at Maligaon have their own water supply

schemes. The Brahmaputra is the source for all these

schemes.

Many areas of the city do not have water supply

systems and people have to depend on deep tube well , ponds,

ring-wells, streams, etc. for their water needs. Against a

requirement of 67 million litres per day for the city, the

installed capacity of the existing water supply schemes is

only 42 million litres with a huge deficit of25million

litres. This explains the acute shortage of water

particularly in the newly developed areas of the city.

There is also no integrated system for sewerage

disposal in the city. Underground sewerage disposal exists

only in the Refinery and Railway townships of Noonmati and

Maligaon. In a large number of cases, septic tank effluents

are discharged directly into the drains which flow either to

the Bharalu or to the Brahmaputra.

Garbage removal is erratic and irregular and is

without proper vigilance. The garbage remains in the open,

sometimes for several days together. Heavy precipitation

during the monsoons washes away such garbage to the water

sources.
 16

The drainage system is also inadequate. Different

parts of the city are served by different, mutually-indepen-

dent and mostly open drains. Very few areas have pucca

drains.

The Bharalu and the Basistha rivers are the main

natural drainage channels for the city. The Municipal waste-

water, stormwater runoff and other surface runoffs flow

either through the Bharalu or through the Basistha (via the

Dipar Beel and the Khana river) to the Brahmaputra (Fig.1.3)

The Deepar Beel and other marshes, swamps and

wetlands have been serving the city as natural reservoirs of

stormwater, but areas under these are rapidly declining due

to encroachment and other activities.

Improper drainage or absence of drainage has led to

frequent water— logging problems in the city during the

monsoons, vitiating the overall environment.

1.2.3 Climate and rainfall

Guwahati has a relatively short winter and people

experience biting cold only during December and January.

Moderate temperature prevails during February to April.

March and early April witness very dry weather with

North-easterly winds which often end up in gusty sand storms

and reduce the visibility appreciably even at midday. Rains

start from mid-April and the temperature becomes oppressive

during May-June.
 The humidity is also very high at this time. Torren­

tial monsoon rains lash the city from mid-June to

mid-September with or without break. Moderate weather sets

in only towards the later part of September and continues

through October upto mid-November when the weather becomes

cooler indicating the arrival of the winter. Dense log at

dawn and daybreak then become common feature for the winter

months.
3
The average climatological parameters for Guwahati

are shown in Table 1.1. The rainfall variability over

Guwahati for a period of more than 100 years is also given

in Table 1.2. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has

shown that on the average. Guwahati has 139 dry days, 43

intermediate days and 183 wet days in a year. The humid

period extends from 8 April to 8 October.

Table 1.2 shows that there was no year without

rainfall (No = 0) for the month of June. Mean rainfall

(Mean) during, tills month for (he period of 113 years was 311.

mm with a minimum value (RN) of 117 mm and a maximum value

(RX) of 868 mm and with a coefficient of variability (CVX)

ol 387, (GV X Mean gives the standard deviation). Again the

Table indicated that in 9 out of 10 years, rainfall in June

exceeded 171 mm and so on.

 Table 1.1 Average Climatological Parameters for Guwahati

Parameter Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Ju l . Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. | Dec. Year
I
______ i
58 150 249 311 305 269 183 77 13 1652
iemp. average 17.6 20 24 26 27.4 28.5 29 29.1 28 26
Temp, mean max.
22.3 13 24
24. 26 30 31 31.0 31.5 32 32 32 30 27.7 24 29
Temp, mean min. 1 1 . 12 16 20 22.7 24. 7 25 25 25 22 19 12 19
Temp. mean day 19. 2 2 25 28 28.4 29.3 30 30 29 27 25 20
Temp, mean night 26
15. 17 21 24 25.4 26-9 27 27 27 24 2 1 15 23
Vapour Press 10 . 15 17 21 27.4 31.4 32 32 31 27 21 17
*ind speed 2 m 23
0. 0.5 0.7 1. 0.8 0.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.6
Sunshine 7o74 74 74 65 61 53 35 35 39 46 62 76 75 58
Total radiation 330 391 425 462 449 361 357 361 360 372 354 314 378
Ivapotransp. 54 70 111 130 130 108 111 1 1 1 94 64 +5
102 1130
Explanations :
i- The rainfall data are the average values for a 30 year period while all the other parameters are
the averages for a 10 year period only,
Rainfall (monthly and yearly average) is iven in whole millimetres.
Temp, average is the average daily air temperature in degrees Celcius.
Temp, mean max. is the average of daily maximum temperatures for the period.
Temp, mean min.^ is the average of daily minimum temperatures for the oeriod.
.-Temp, mean day is the average day time air temperature calculated from the maximum and minimum
mean temperatures and the local day length. The annual value is the arithmetic mean of che monthly
values.
Temp, mean night is the average night time air temperature calculated from the maximum and
minimum mean temperatures and the local night length. The annual value is the arithmatic
mean of the monthly values.
Vapour press, is the average vapour pressure of the air for the period , expressed in millibars.
Wind speed 2m is the average wind speed reduced at 2m level, expressed in metres per second.
- Sunshine 7, is the relative daily sunshine duration by month and vear. expressed as a percentage
of astronomically possible sunshine duration.
Tot^l radiation is the daily average total solar radiation for the period, exDressed in calories
Lu day •
- Evapotransp. is the potential evapotranspiration, expressed in millimetres, and represents the
loss of moisture from the soil
1
8
 Table 1.2 Variation of rainfall over Guwahati for the period 1848-1963

o
Amount exceeded (in mm) in years out of

J
Mean RX

as

►
523
a
>

in

1
<5
4j
5
0
C M

rn

\o
UJIU l turn
mm

O'
tn

00
rH

1
-----
January 113 37 12 0 68 128 6 10 15 23 35
February 114 12 21 0 158 116 10 15 20 27 36 53
March 111 9 58 0 218 83 15 25 35 46 58 73 94 127
April 113 0 150 8 368 48 60 82 100 118 136 156 179 210 256
May 114 1 249 0 611 40 130 164 190 214 238 263 292 328 385
June 113 0 311 117 868 38 171 210 241 269 297 326 361 404 467
July 114 0 305 96 725 40 165 203 234 262 291 321 355 399 466
August 113 0 269 90 575 39 142 177 204 230 255 283 314 353 414
September 114 0 183 3 465 51 64 92 115 138 162 189 220 262 327
October 112 3 77 0 336 87 21 32 45 58 75 96 124 171
November 111 3 3 13 0 127 156 10 16 24 38
December 112 63 4 0 49 186

Explanation :
N = the no, of years taken for observation. N = the no. af observations with no rainfall. Mean= the
arithmetic mean rainfall over N years, in mm. %N= Absolute monthly minimum rainfall in the series of
observations, RX= Absolute monthly maximum rainfall in the series of observations, CV= Coefficient
of variability which is equal to the ratio of the standard deviation over the average -onthlv
rainfall, multiplied by 100. "Amount exceeded in years out of 10" indicates in 9 columns numbered
from 9 to the rount of monthly rainfall exceced in N vears out of 10.
 20

As seen from the Table 1.2 Guwahati has an average

annual rainfall of 1652 mm, out of which 1467 mm or nearly

907. occurs during April to September, May-August being

decidedly the most weL months.

The wind direction in Guwahati is from north-east to

south-west during the winter and the opposite during the

summer.

1.3 Aim of the Study

In the context of the gross environmental situation

in Guwahati, the importance of the Bharalu river needs no

emphasis. For a large part of the city, the Bharalu can be

termed as the lifeline. A very large amount of waste from

households as well as from various industries are carried by

the Bharalu to the Brahmaputra without much of a treatment.

The contamination of the Brahmaputra would pause a grave

hazard to the people ol ihe entire valley. It is therefore

very important to ascertain the quality of the water flowing

through the Bharalu and to measure the pollution load due

to each of the well known pollutants.

Very little has been reported on the quality of the

Bharalu water. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate

the effects of industrial and municipal wastes on the water

quality of Lhe Bharalu river and to estimate the pollution

load due to the various pollutants. It would also be

 21

endeavoured to identify and locate the sources of the

pollutants and to monitor the effects of these pollutants on

the overall environment of Guwahati.

1.4 References

1. Master plan for Water supply. Sewerage and Drainage for

Metropolitan Guwahati, 1972.

2. Modified Final Master plan and Zoning Regulations for

Guwahati, Town and Country Planning Organisation, Govt,

of Assam, 1987.

3. Agro-climatol ogical Data for Asia, FAO plant Production

and Protection Series No 25, Vol . 1 (A~J) , FAO, Rome,

1987.