PROJECT REPORT ON

COMPARITIVE STUDY OF WATER PARAMETERS BY WQI ACROSS

MAHANANDA RIVER & HOOGLY RIVER (GANGA), WEST BENGAL, INDIA

REPORT SUBMITTED TO

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, AGARTALA

FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE

OF

MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY

BY

ROHINI DAS, ISPITA BISWAS, JAMATI JAMATIA

(Enrolment No: 23PCE010, 23PCE012, 23PCE021)

UNDER THE GUIDANCE

OF

MISS. NABINA KHANAM,

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR.
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING,
NIT AGARTALA

CIVIL ENGINEERING
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, AGARTALA
DEC- 2023
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would want to sincerely thank everyone who helped to see this project
through to completion. I want to start by expressing my gratitude to my
supervisor Ms. Nabina Khanam for all her help and support over this entire
process.

I am incredibly appreciative of my family and friends that supported me, gave

advice, and helped when I needed it. Their spirit of cooperation was essential
to overcoming obstacles and accomplishing the project's objectives.

I would also like to express my gratitude for the references and resources that
helped to form the basis of this project. The abundance of information found
in scholarly publications, books, and internet resources has been crucial in
creating a thorough grasp of the topic.

THANKING YOU

ROHINI DAS
(23PCE010)
ISPITA BISWAS
(23PCE012)
JAMATI JAMATIA
(23PCE021)

2
 LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE FIGURE CAPTION PAGE NO.

NO.
1 Study Area and Sampling Sites in Mahananda River 6
2 Study Area and Sampling Sites in Hooghly River 6
3 A Statistical Summary of The Air Temperature and Precipitation in 8
The Region of The Study Area
4 Correlation Analysis of Water Quality Indicators 11
5 Calculated Nsf-Wqi Score in Different Sampling Site In The 13
Mahananda River.

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 1. INTRODUCTION

One of the most important natural resources for human survival and development-related activities is
surface water. As a result, maintaining the high quality of surface water is essential for both human health
and sustainable development. However, because surface water is more vulnerable to contaminants from
both natural and man-made sources, such as industrial sewage, disposed of household garbage, and
irrigation drainage water, there has been a considerable decline in surface water quality in recent decades.
The water footprint has recently been used in several studies to pinpoint the origins of water pollution. A
multifaceted indicator technique known as "water footprint" shows the quantities of water used by users
and the volumes of water that are contaminated with various types of pollution. Typically, there are three
kinds of footprints: green, blue, and grey.

Riverside near Mahananda the problem is not limited to rich nations; it is also affecting developing
nations, where uncontrolled rapid industrialization, urbanization, and population growth are the main
causes of the deterioration of surface water bodies, particularly rivers inside urban areas. Developing
nations lack the constitutional structure necessary to address the immediate consequences of this threat,
despite industrialized nations having adopted policies and measures to anticipate it (Thus, it is crucial to
monitor the quality of the water. To obtain a thorough assessment of the spatiotemporal variation of
surface water quality, monitoring programs often need to measure the physical, chemical, and biological
water quality indicators. But these monitoring techniques typically produce big datasets that need to be
properly interpreted using the right tools.

However, it does not offer a comprehensive picture of the current situation. Regarding this, Water Quality
Index (WQI) models are highly well-liked since they convert a complex collection of data into a numerical
expression devoid of units that shows the general state of the water's quality and its applicability for
different purposes. This method typically consists of four steps: (i) the selection of water quality
indicators; (ii) the sub-index process; (iii) the water quality indicator weighting; and (iv) the aggregation
function contains information about the WQI models and how to apply them. Another popular method for
conducting geostatistical analysis and visualizing the spatial variability and distribution of water quality
indicators in the examined area is a geospatial model based on Geographic Information System (GIS).

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India, one of the developing world’s most water-stressed countries, receives only 4% of the world’s
available water resources while having an annual water supply of 1588 m3 per person. In the varied
geographical areas of India, Siliguri, which is in the West Bengali district of Darjeeling, is a significant
industrial area and big urbanized metropolis due to its advantageous location close to both national and
international borders. Most domestic and business activities in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation
jurisdiction are centered around the Mahananda River.

One of West Bengal’s fastest-growing cities, Siliguri is experiencing massive economic growth,
particularly in the trade and commerce sectors, which were built around the Mahananda river. It traverses
this city for ten kilometers and plays an essential part in the progress of the urban and economic sectors.
The Mahananda River gets large volumes of untreated wastewater every year from a variety of sources,
including domestic sources, industrial effluents, unplanned urbanization, and improper waste
management. This could have a negative effect on the water quality of the river. As a result of increasing
urbanization and space constraints, pollution levels have skyrocketed. In Siliguri, rivers have regularly
been used as disposal sites. Although the river has significance on an interdistrict, interstate, and
international level, little is known about the state of its surface water quality. To the best of the author’s
knowledge, no research has been done on how urbanization affects the water quality of the Mahananda
River in terms of spatial variation.

Deterioration of surface water quality has become a growing threat to human society and natural
ecosystems in recent years. This decline is directly related to the discharge of municipal and industrial
waste as well as surface runoff from agricultural lands and makes the water vulnerable to pollution.
Therefore, it has become essential work to restore this natural resource through identification of pollutants,
reduction of pollution load from these sources and continuous monitoring. Quality of surface water is
generally determined by collection of samples for the water quality parameters such as temperature, PH,
chlorophyll-a, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Suspended Solids
(TSS), Total Dissolves Solids (TDS), Secchi Disk depth, Fecal Coliform etc. from various locations and
analyzing them at laboratory to know the concentration of different water quality parameters. There after
the large datasets which are generated are calculated through a mathematical instrument called water
quality index (WQI) which provides a single number that expresses overall water quality at a certain
location and time, based on several physio-chemical and biological water quality parameters.

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The present study aims to evaluate the water quality status of river Hooghly in West Bengal, India through
estimation of water quality index using weighted arithmetic water quality index method. (WAWQI) and
GIS technology. Here an attempt has been made to identify the locations where the desired and existing
water quality is not matching and need a pollution control measure to demonstrate the ability of these
technologies to identify the most critically polluted sites along the entire river stretch for establishing a
sustainable water quality monitoring system.

FIG. 1 STUDY AREA AND SAMPLING SITES IN MAHANANDA RIVER

FIG. 2 STUDY AREA AND SAMPLING SITES IN HOOGLY RIVER

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 2. METHODOLOGY

2.1 STUDY AREA

The Mahananda River is a transboundary river that spans 360 km, the most of which is in Bangladesh (36
km) and the majority of which is in India (324 km). The origin of Mahaldiram Hill, a Shivalik range in
the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India, is home to the Mahananda River. The river passes through
several rock formations in the hilly Darjeeling Himalaya region as it flows through, with the remainder of
its course being over the newly formed alluvium of the Bengal Basin. The river passes through the Malda
district of India before joining the Padma River, which is a portion of the Ganges in Bangladesh, at
Nawabganj Sadar Upazila. Many different functional events that are connected to Siliguri City cause a
substantial number of pollutants to enter the Mahananda River. Several disposal techniques are available
for treated sewage products such as land application, deep well injection and incineration. Each technique
has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The river basin is home to both a temperate climate on the plain and a warm tropical climate at the foot
of the Darjeeling Himalaya. The average air temperature recorded during the study period was 23.96 ◦C;
the highest recorded temperature was 28.51 ◦C in April, while the lowest temperature was 16.59 ◦C in
January. This river is thought to be rain-fed, which suggests that during the monsoon (mid-June to
September), the water level is higher than it is during the summer (March to early June) or the winter
(October to February).

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2.2 WATER SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS

During the summer of 2021, a total of 14 water samples (15 cm below the surface) were collected from 5
sampling sites within the studied area in accordance with the standard protocols and comprehensive
information. The sampling locations were chosen horizontally to encompass both the non-urbanized area
outside of Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the urbanized area inside SMC, considering
elements like ease of access, restrooms, convenience, and The Horton model, which Brown later
developed in 1965, is thought to have been modified to create the Sanitation Foundation Water Quality
Index (NSF-WQI). While there are many varieties of WQI available, the NSF-WQI is thought to be one
of the most complete models out there. The two sampling sites i.e., SO1 and SO2 have been taken 1.5 km
far from the main boundary of SMC. Prior to sampling, these bottles were rinsed at least three times with
water samples to be collected at each of the sampling sites. Later samples were collected in triplicate from
the middle of the stream and banks through the grab and bucket sampling technique and each sample were
stored in 1.5 L polyethylene plastic bottles, which were preconditioned with 5% concentrated HNO3 and
rinsed with double-deionized water. After collecting the samples, all bottles were covered with airtight
caps and placed in an ice bath for transporting to the laboratory for analysis.

FIG. 3. A STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF THE AIR TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION IN

THE REGION OF THE STUDY AREA.

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2.3 ASSESSING WATER QUALITY USING MODIFIED NSF-WQI
MODEL

A component of the mathematical tool that comprehensively condenses many water quality data into a
single value is the Water Quality Index (WQI). The Horton model, which Brown later developed in 1965,
is thought to have been modified for use in the National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index (NSF-
WQI).

While there are many varieties of WQI available, the NSF-WQI is thought to be one of the most complete
models out there. The most recent WQI has been used in several studies to evaluate the river water quality
in India.

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The Mahananda River water quality was evaluated in this study using the modified NSF-WQI model
because, according to recent research, these modified techniques are useful for evaluating the quality of
surface water to lower model uncertainty. Furthermore, this method is frequently employed to evaluate
various surface waterbodies’ dynamics. Four basic steps make up the structure of WQI models, and the
NSF-WQI for this study was calculated using the same procedures, which are detailed below.

2.4 OBTAINING PARAMETERS WEIGHT VALUES

The most crucial step after choosing a parameter is to estimate its weight. Various researchers have used
different weight estimation techniques, such as the equal weight method (equal weight to all parameters),
subjective method, and objective method. In terms of uncertainty, a few recent studies have shown that
the equal weighting approach works better than other techniques. The majority of the WQI model,
however, used an unequal weighting approach, where the weight values of all the water quality parameters
added together equal 1. The equal weight method was employed in this study to determine the weight of
each NSF-WQI indicator.

The decision maker's input and a minimal understanding of the criteria's priorities are required for the
equal weight method (EW). Storm sewage management involves various strategies to control and mitigate
the impacts of stormwater runoff on the environment and human communities. One approach is the
implementation of green infrastructure, which includes practices like rain gardens, permeable pavements,
green roofs, and vegetative swales. These features help absorb and filter stormwater, reducing runoff
volume and pollutants while recharging groundwater.

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 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

3.1. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS OF WATER QUALITY INDICATORS

The fundamental statistical measures (mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation) for the
researched WQ indicators, as well as the guideline values indicators of WQ, the water pH was found to be
somewhat alkaline (7.82-8.1) in nature via the sampling sites, indicating the presence of CO3 2, Ca2+, and
Mg2+ in the Mahananda River's surface water. However, the pH values recorded for the Mahananda River
sampling locations were within the recommended range.

The results showed that the dissolved oxygen (DO) level was within the WHO (2017) standards, with a
mean value of 6.86 ± 0.47 mg/L and a range of 6.05 mg/L to 7.24 mg/L. The concentration of DO is a vital
WQ indicator in any aquatic ecosystem, and changes in it are linked to photosynthesis. The amount of
unstable organic matter in waterbodies is reflected in the BOD tolerance limit of 5 mg/L in surface water for
aquatic life. All other test sites above the limit, with the exception of the upstream sampling site SO1,
suggesting the presence of organic pollutants from untreated industrial effluent and household trash.
Increased BOD loading often indicates the presence of organic contaminants from household and untreated
industrial waste.

FIG. 4. CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF WATER QUALITY INDICATORS

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COD in surface water, like BOD, exceeded the acceptable level for aquatic life at all sample sites, with a
mean value of 23.88 6.28 mg/L. COD levels were also found to be greater than BOD levels, which is not
surprising given that more organic molecules can be chemically oxidized than biologically oxidized. The
current findings for COD were consistent with previous findings for similar rivers of interest. Higher COD
levels are generally indicative of discharged effluents from large industrial and municipal applications. The
NO3 content ranged from 0.4 mg/L to 2.6 mg/L, with an average value of 1.86 mg/L. Furthermore, the NO3
level was within the EPA and WHO recommended limits.

The natural presence of phosphate in waterbodies is linked to the breakdown of organic materials. However,
larger concentrations could be linked to the significant intake of fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural
sources, as well as detergents, which are plentiful in waste and sewage effluents. Higher levels of typically
contribute greatly to the eutrophication process in standing water, resulting in dissolved oxygen loss. The
major anions in the surface water of the Mahananda River were chloride (Cl) and NO3. However, Cl
concentrations were determined to be within the guidelines at all monitoring sites. The presence of Fecal
Coliforms (FC) in the aquatic system usually indicates biological degradation of water quality. With the
exception of sampling sites M1 and SO1, the amount of FC surpassed the safety limit.

3.2. SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF WATER QUALITY INDICATORS IN

MAHANANDA RIVER

The distribution of WQ indicators evaluated in the Mahananda River. The pH of the water remained largely
alkaline at all sample locations.The temperature of the water was not uniform at the sampling stations, and it
declined from upstream to downstream. The spatial distribution of Cond. and TDS followed a similar pattern,
and both of these WQ indicators were observed at greater levels beginning at sampling site S1 and decreasing
at SO1, which could be ascribed to untreated municipal sewage. Water turbidity followed the sequence: SO2
> S3 > S2 > S1 > SO1, clearly displaying the input from the urbanized part and continuing elevated turbidity
levels on the water in the downstream part, while the spatial variation of TH showed identical distribution
across all sampling sites.

DO concentrations declined from upstream to downstream sample sites, although BOD and COD showed a
reverse distribution pattern than DO, showing that urban effluent flowed from sampling site S1 to following
sampling sites (Fig. 4g-i). Each of the three the studied anions (NO3, PO4 3, and Cl) showed homogeneous

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spatial variability, with higher levels at sampling points within urban vicinity (S1, S2, and S3), suggesting that
the source of elevated concentrations for NO3 and Cl could be linked to the discharge of untreated urban
sewage and domestic waste in the Mahananda River. FC and E-coli had a similar distribution pattern within
the sampling sites, and their concentrations dropped in the following order.

FIG. 5. CALCULATED NSF-WQI SCORE IN DIFFERENT SAMPLING SITE IN THE MAHANANDA RIVER.

Such pattern of distribution could be influenced by open defecation activities done by urban slums located
along the riverbanks. Usually, the alteration in spatial dependence on the water quality indicators in river water
could be influenced by the fluctuation of sewage inflow, rainfall events, surface runoff and point discharges
of industrial and municipal effluents. Therefore, those processes may be affected by changing the
physicochemical parameters of the lake. Besides several factors such as sampling strategy and sampling period
and data structure can also affect the performance of interpolation methods.

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 4. CONCLUSION

The aim of this research was to assess the water quality of the Mahananda River using modified NSF-WQI
model. The major conclusions from the research are as follows:

(i) The PCA identified Temperature, Cond., TDS, Turb., DO, BOD, COD, NO3− , PO4− , Cl− , FC and E.coli
as crucial WQ indicators governing the water quality of the Mahananda river.

(ii) Most of the WQ indicators were found in elevated levels across the river at the inside of the Siliguri
Municipal boundary.

(iii) NSF-WQI results showed low WQI score the similar sampling points implying moderate water quality
while the upstream sampling site has good water quality status.

(iv) The results of this study have revealed that the urban stresses are heavily influenced the river water quality,
because relatively “good” water quality status was found at the outer part of the urban river whereas “medium”
water quality was investigated in urban part.

Therefore, the river requires precautionary management plans for protection from continued dumping of
contaminants in its water. To tackle future water pollution related hazards, the results of this research might
be insightful for future planning purposes for adopting proper strategies to minimize the input of wastes and
contaminants from the source of origin. The major limitation of the present study is that the water quality was
analysed only using the summer seasons in order to assess the impact of urban growth on water quality in the
Mahananda River. In spite of its limitations, the study was certainly effective in obtaining knowledge on the
spatial distribution pattern of the urban stress on the Mahananda river’s water quality. For the development of
an effective WQI model, further study should be focused on the impact of urban growth on water quality in
terms of the temporal resolution of the WQI model. However, the results of this study not only reflect the
urban pressures on river water quality; they are also helpful in identifying the potential sources of
contaminants. The findings of this study could help to improve the water quality-monitoring program in
Mahananda River.

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 REFERENCES

1. Das, K., & Hazra, P. B. (2021). Surface Water Quality Quality Assessment using
Water Quality Index Method. 8(8), 4–10.
https://doi.org/10.17148/IARJSET.2021.8897
2. Parween, S., Siddique, N. A., Mahammad Diganta, M. T., Olbert, A. I., & Uddin, M.
G. (2022). Assessment of urban river water quality using modified NSF water quality
index model at Siliguri city, West Bengal, India. Environmental and Sustainability
Indicators, 16(August), 100202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2022.100202

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