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Chapter-01 Introduction

Earth, the Water planet is the only one in our solar system

presently characterized and shaped by plenteous liquid water ‐ a

necessity for life. Water plays a major role in shaping the land

surface of the Earth. Water in its purest form on Earth, comes from

rain and snow. This water is available first in the form of surface

water through rivers and Lakes. Water is one of the most natural

resources for all the living organisms, weather unicellular or multi

cellular, since it is required for their various metabolic activities. It

covers 70% of the Earth. But only a small portion of this valuable

natural resource is fit for human consumption. The availability of

adequate water in terms of both quantity and quality is necessary for

human existence. This vital resource makes up 60 percent of the

human body. A person can live no more than 4 to 5 days without

water and we rely on it for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing

clothes, growing food, recreation, irrigation, shipping, industry and

mining as well as generation of electric power. Like the air we

breathe, water is essential to our daily life. It is one of the controlling

factors for biodiversity and the distribution of Earth’s varied

ecosystems, communities of animals, plants, and bacteria and their

interrelated physical and chemical environments. Nearly every

activity that occurs on land ultimately affects groundwater or surface

waters. Water is not only a major factor in shaping our landscape but

also a renewable resource. However, it is not always available when

or where it is needed, and it may not be of suitable quality for

intended uses. Having too much water (floods) or not having enough

(droughts) may have serious consequences for people, wildlife, and

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their habitats. Providing sufficient quantities of good quality water is

a major factor in creating the life style we enjoy in the India

(Stephen et. al., 2002). The fresh water available for our water needs

is less than 1 percent of Earth’s supply. Approximately 97 percent of

the Earth’s fresh water is frozen in polar ice caps and glaciers,

making it unavailable for use. Of the remaining fresh water supply,

most is groundwater. The uneven distribution of water resources has

been an important control on human habitation and development

throughout history. Societies have struggled to control water

resources, human migrations have been made to obtain water

resources, and litigation is commonly used to resolve conflicting

water needs (Stephen et. al., 2002). Growth of population and other

anthropogenic activities, like effluent disposals on to the surface and

ground water sources, have made sustainable management of water

resources a very complex task throughout the world. Water which

was once regarded as a free gift of nature is becoming more and

more scarce. Unless pollution of water bodies is effectively

controlled, they will be exposed to the grave dangers of water

pollution. Quality of water has a priority role for not only drinking

purpose but also for agricultural, industrial and other uses. In recent

times as a result of increasing urbanization and industrialization,

there has been an increasing threat to the quality of surface waters in

rivers and lakes. However, water is also one of the most manageable

among the natural resources; it is capable of diversion, transport,

storage and recycling. Its quantity and distribution in time and space

are highly variable, but the total amount of usable water remains

constant, providing man a wide range of choices in managing the

water resources (Seth, 2000). Among all the environmental

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pollutions, pollution of water resources is a matter of great concern.

Poor and developing countries are at high risk due to lack of waste

water treatment technologies. Increasing contamination of aquatic

sources with large number of pollutants is not only endangering the

aquatic biota but creating a worldwide shortage of recreational

waters (Rai et. al., 1998). As we know out of the earth’s total water,

97% is stored in an ocean which is not fit for human consumption.

The further 3% is stored in various sources like rivers, lakes, and

under-ground aquifers. Natural waters are extremely varies in

chemical composition and the factors controlling the composition

include physical, chemical and biological processes. A river system

is a network of connecting channels through which water,

precipitated on the surface, is collected and funneled back to the

ocean. At any given time, about 1300 km3 of water flows in the

world’s rivers. As it moves, it picks up weathered rock debris and

carries it to the oceans. Rivers are the dominant agents of erosion on

our planet. Rivers are ideal examples of natural systems. Our current

life is wholly dependent on rivers. The river systems provide

irrigation, potable water, cheap transportation, electricity as well as

livelihoods for a large number of people all over the world. A river

is not just a channel carrying freshwater, but a hydrological,

geomorphic, ecological, biodiversity-rich, landscape level system

that serves as a key part of the freshwater cycle, balancing dynamic

equilibrium between snowfall, rainfall, surface water and

groundwater and provides a large number of social and economic

services to the people and bring prosperity. Rivers have a large-scale

directional organization i.e. upstream-downstream, which leads to

their accumulating water and material loads as they flow

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downstream. Rivers are dominated by active rather than diffusive

material transport. Rivers have exceptionally high rates of energy

and always ‘contain’ many other embedded ecosystems both

terrestrial and aquatic. The report of the World Commission on

Dams notes, “Rivers, watersheds and aquatic ecosystems are the

biological engines of the planet.” An area without a river is

considered to be poor. Unfortunately, during the past two decades

the river water quality has deteriorated rapid in due course of time.

One of the major reasons for this is the untreated waste water being

released to the rivers, turning them to be a dirty drain. This surface

water forms the lifeline of almost all the human activities as also

most of nature’s activities. It is the surface water which percolates

down and recharges the aquifers and becomes part of Ground Water.

Therefore it can be easily said that contamination of surface water

has a cascading effect and has far reaching inferences throughout the

reach of the river, Ground water aquifers, flora and fauna, and

human activities. In the earth's crust only 0.01% of total water exists

as surface fresh water. Surface waters are usually rich in turbidity,

suspended impurities of decaying organic matter like vegetable and

or animal, sand and finely divided clay, microorganisms and

bacteria, and small amount of mineral salts dissolved from top soil.

The quality of river water in general is subject matter to

1. The character and area of catchment

2. The Topography

3. The extent and nature of development of catchment besides weather

as well as seasonal conditions.

The water resources have been most exploited natural system

since man strode the earth. Pollution of water bodies is increasing

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steadily due to rapid population growth, industrial proliferations,

urbanization, increasing living standards and wide spheres of human

activities. Time is perhaps not too far when pure and clean water

particularly in densely populated and industrialized water scare areas

may be inadequate for maintaining the normal living standards. The

man’s influence on these water bodies caused by rapid cutting of

surrounding vegetation, thus increasing silt and nutrient load, disposal

of sewage and industrial wastes, use for defecation, cultural activities

and agriculture chemicals greatly increased the quantity of nutrients

and organic input into a water body. The water quality of the river and

reservoir changes from time to time and place to place, due to

interaction of local factors. In the absence of any in depth knowledge

about the water quality and ill effects the inhabitants are prone to

disease and health problems.

The aquatic water systems gets polluted by domestic

activities, mining activities, municipal wastes, modern agricultural

practices, marine dumping, radioactive wastes, oil spillage,

underground storage leakages and industries. But the major culprits

causing the pollution of water resources are different industrial units.

Indiscriminate discharge of toxic chemicals through effluents from a

wide range of industries like textile, steel, oil, tanneries, canneries,

refineries, mines, fertilizers production units, detergent production

units, electroplating units and sugar mills etc. into water bodies

pollutes these resources and causes hazardous effects on flora and

fauna (Singh and Singh, 2000, Gavrilescu, 2004, Iqbal and Edyvean,

2004, Akar and Tunali, 2005). Monitoring of physico-chemical

quality of water should be made routine in order not only to keep vigil

on the water deterioration but also to improve the water quality.

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During recent years there has been an increasing awareness and

concern about water pollution all over the world and new approaches

towards achieving sustainable exploitation of water resources have

been developed internationally. Control of water pollution has gained

primary importance in developed and a number of developing

countries. Since water is consumed in large quantities around the

world, the health risks associated with consumption of contaminated

water are of greatest concern. Globally 2.3 billion people suffer from

water related diseases (WHO, 1997). From time immemorial, the

rivers are said to be the lifeline for living beings, as all types of

developments, directly or indirectly relate to them. They have played

a very important role in the progress of human civilization since they

give basic necessities of life, water and food, on which depends the

survival of living-beings. In a way, rivers are also the eventual sink of

all types of terrestrial and aquatic pollution. On the other hand, the

rapid industrial development and demographic explosion, during the

last few decades, have resulted in a galloping pace of environmental

degradation and ridiculous exploitation of riverine resources. In

industrial societies, especially developed countries, the main threat of

water pollution is from chemicals but in developing countries, the

commonest cause of water pollution is the disposal of untreated waste

and effluents into it. According to the World Commission on Water

for the 21'' century, more than half of the world’s major rivers are so

depleted and polluted that they on danger human health and poison

surrounding ecosystems.

RIVERS OF INDIA

Rivers have a exceptional place in the lives of the Indians. India is a

blessed country when water sources come into question which is

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accessible in the form unparalleled resources of Rivers, reservoirs,

estuaries, lakes, ponds and flood wetlands. The geographical area of

India is 3,287,590 sq km. The length of its Coastline is about 7500

km. India is enviably endowed in respect of water resources. The

country is factually criss‐crossed with rivers and blessed with high

precipitation mainly due to the southwest monsoon, which accounts

for 75% of the annual rainfall. Indian rivers with a catchment area of

3.12 million sq.kms form a repository biological wealth characterized

by a highly diverse fish fauna. Rivers in India constitute the backbone

of capture fisheries. The 113 major and minor rivers along with their

principal tributaries form a biological wealth, unmatched in its

qualitative and quantitative abundance. Rivers in India have unique

hydrological structure characterized by peak flows during monsoon

and lean flows in winter like Himalayan Rivers or in summer like

Peninsular Rivers. India is often referred as the “Land of Rivers”. In

fact riverbanks first hosted human civilizations in India as elsewhere

in the world. Rivers in India play important social and economic roles.

This is the reason why Indians worship rivers as goddesses. Our

mythologies are full of stories glorifying the rivers. Our current life is

totally dependent on rivers. There are fourteen major river basins

which occupy area more than 20,000 square kilometer in the country,

which occupy 82.4% of total drainage basins, contribute eighty five

percent of total surface flow and house eighty percent of the country's

population. Major river basins are Brahmaputra, Ganga ( including

Yamuna Sub Basin), Indus (including Satluj and Beas Sub Basin),

Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi, Narmada, Cauvery, Brahmini

(including Baitarni Sub Basin), Tapi, Mahi, Pennar and Sabarmati.

There are few desert rivers, which flow for some distance and get lost

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in deserts. There are complete arid areas where evaporation equals

rainfall and hence no surface‐flow. The medium and minor river

basins are mainly in coastal area. Yet, in spite of the nature’s bounty,

paucity of water is an issue of national concern resulting in

deterioration of water quality in aquatic resources.

RIVER BASINS IN INDIA

River Basin Catchment Area – Sq.km No. of Basin

Major More than 20,000 14

Medium Between 2,000 - 20,000 44

Minor Less than 2,000 52

INDIAN RIVER SYSTEM

The Indian River Systems can be divided into four categories –

the Himalayan, the rivers traversing the Deccan Plateau, the Coastal

and those in the inland drainage basin. The Himalayan Rivers are

perennial as they are fed by melting glaciers every summer. During

the monsoon, these rivers assume alarming proportions. The Gangetic

basin is the largest river system in India, draining almost a quarter of

the country. The rivers of the Indian peninsular plateau are mainly fed

by rain. During summer, their flow is greatly reduced, and some of the

tributaries even dry up, only to be revived in the monsoon. The

Godavari basin in the peninsula is the largest in the country, spanning

an area of almost one‐tenth of the country. The 29,000 km of riverine

resource of the country comprises 14 major rivers (catchment area

>20,000 km²), 44 medium rivers (catchment area between 2,000 and

20,000 km²) and 52 minor rivers (catchment area <2,000 km²). They

can be grouped into five major river systems: the Ganga, the

Brahmaputra and the Indus river systems in the north, and the east and

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west coast river systems in the Peninsular India. The East Coast River

System is a composite system of rivers. Its main constituents are

Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. Many parts of the River

do not seem to have any dissolved oxygen and no wonder that they

fail to support the growth of desirable aquatic flora and fauna. All

these River systems share between them 83% of the drainage basin

and account for 85% of the surface flow in the country. They are

monsoon fed and fast flowing. By the time they reach the plains they

become tidal in nature. Only 4 of the 14 major Rivers viz.,

Brahmaputra, Ganga, Mahanadi and Brahmani are perennial with a

minimum discharge of 0.47Mm3/km2/yr. Krishna, Indus, Godavari,

Narmanda, Tapti and Subaarnarekha have average discharge of 0.26

Mm3/km2/yr. Since independence, India has witnessed rapid

urbanization, industrialization, and intensification of agriculture,

which all affected the rivers in different ways. Pollution of river is a

global problem. In India it is reported that about 70% of the available

water is polluted. The chief source of pollution is identified as sewage

constituting 84 to 92 percent of the waste water. Industrial waste

water comprised 8 to 16 percent. The indiscriminate and large scale

deforestation and over grazing in the watershed areas of river basins

have caused soil erosion resulting in considerable silting of dams and

shrinkage of river flows. This leads to the flooding of the rivers at the

time of excessive rains. All this affected riverine biota. Species

composition has changed and many species have nearly disappeared.

The loss offeeding and breeding habitats in the floodplain water

bodies due to the construction of embankments (Mukherjee, 2005). It

is symptomatic that out of the 30 world river basins marked as global

level priorities for the protection of aquatic biodiversity by

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Groombridge and Jenkins, (1998), nine (9) are from India due to their

extensive and continuing development. These basins include Cauvery,

Ganges-Brahmaputra, Godavari, Indus, Krishna, Mahanadi, Narmada,

Pennar and Tapi. With an exception of Ganges-Brahmaputra, all the

above basins have also been categorized as “strongly affected” by

flow fragmentation and regulation (Nilsson et. al., 2005).

Conservation and restoration of rivers have become vital for

the overall sustainable development of the country. However, until

recently, this “conservation” has been limited to “cleaning” of rivers

by treatment of wastewater, occasional symbolic removal of garbage

and enforcing the treatment of industrial effluents (Gopal and

Chauhan, 2003). So far, these efforts have not resulted in major

improvements. Overall, there has been limited appreciation of the

nature of rivers as ecosystems whose ecological integrity depends

upon their physical, chemical, biological characteristics and

interactions with their catchment.

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Figure 1: Shows map of Major rivers in India.

The major rivers of India are as follows;

1. Indus River

The Indus originates in the northern slopes of the Kailash range

in Tibet near Lake Manasarovar. It follows a north‐westerly course

through Tibet. It enters Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir. It

forms a picturesque gorge in this part. Several tributaries ‐ the Zaskar,

the Shyok, the Nubra and the Hunza join it in the Kashmir region. It

flows through the regions of Ladakh, Baltistan and Gilgit and runs

between the Ladakh Range and the Zaskar Range. It crosses the

Himalayas through deep gorge near Attock, lying north of the Nanga

Parbat and later takes a bend to the south west direction before

entering Pakistan. It has a large number of tributaries in both India

and Pakistan and has a total length of about 2897 km from the 3

source to the point near Karachi where it falls into the Arabian Sea.

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The main tributaries of the Indus in India are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi,

Beas and Sutlej.

2. Brahmaputra River

The Brahmaputra originates in the Mansarovar lake, also the

source of the Indus and the Satluj. It is slightly longer than the Indus,

but most of its course lies outside India. It flows eastward, parallel to

the Himalayas. Reaching Namcha Barwa it takes a U‐turn around it

and enters India in Arunachal Pradesh and known as dihang. In India,

it flows through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and is joined by

several tributaries.

3. Ganga River

The Ganga rises from the Gangotri Glacier in the Garhwal

Himalayas at an elevation of some 4100 metres above the sea level

under the name of Bhagirathi. This main stream of the river flows

through the Himalayas till another two streams – the Mandakini and

the Alaknanda – join it at Dev Prayag, the point of confluence. The

combined stream is then known as the Ganga. The main tributaries of

the Ganga are Yamuna, Ram Ganga, Gomati, Ghaghara, Son,

Damodar and Sapt Kosi. The river after traversing a distance of 2525

kms from its source meets the Bay of Bengal at Ganga Sagar in West

Bengal.

4. Yamuna River

The River Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri glacier,

6387m above mean sea level (msl), at the Banderpoonch peak in the

Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The catchment of the river extends

to states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and

Madhya Pradesh and the entire union territory of Delhi. The river

flows 1367 km from here to its confluence with the River Ganga at

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Allahabad. The main tributaries joining the river include the Hindon,

Chambal, Sind, Betwa and Ken.

5. Narmada River

The Narmada or Nerbudda is a river in central India. It forms

the traditional boundary between North India and South India, and is a

total of 1,289 km (801 mi) long. Of the major rivers of peninsular

India, only the Narmada, the Tapti and the Mahi run from east to west.

Its total length through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,

and Gujarat amounts to 1312 kilometres (815 miles), and it empties

into the Arabian Sea in the Bharuch district of Gujarat.

6. Tapti River

The Tapi is a river of central India. It is one of the major rivers

of peninsular India with the length of around 724 km; it runs from east

to west. It rises in the eastern Satpura Range of southern Madhya

Pradesh state, and flows westward, draining Madhya Pradesh's

historic Nimar region, Maharashtra's historic Khandesh and east

Vidarbha regions in the northwest corner of the Deccan Plateau and

South Gujarat before emptying into the Gulf of Cambay of the

Arabian Sea, in the State of Gujarat. The principal tributaries of Tapi

River are Purna River, Girna River, Panzara River, Waghur River,

Bori River and Aner River.

7. Godavari River

The river with second longest course within India, Godavari is

often referred to as the Vriddh (Old) Ganga or the Dakshin (South)

Ganga. The river is about 1,450 km (900 miles) long. It rises at

Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik and Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in

Maharashtra around 380 km distance from the Arabian Sea, but flows

southeast across south‐central India through the states of Madhya

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Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, and empties into the

Bay of Bengal. Some of its tributaries include Indravati River,

Manjira, Bindusara and Sabari.

8. Krishna River

The Krishna is one of the longest rivers of India (about 1300

km in length). It originates at Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra, passes

through Sangli and meets the sea in the Bay of Bengal at

Hamasaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh. The Krishna River flows through

the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Its most

important tributary is the Tungabhadra River, which itself is formed

by the Tunga and Bhadra rivers that originate in the Western Ghats.

Other tributaries include the Koyna, Bhima, Mallaprabha,

Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga rivers.

9. Kaveri River

The Kaveri (also spelled Cauvery or Kavery) is one of the great

rivers of India and is considered sacred by the Hindus. This river is

also called Dakshin Ganga. The headwaters are in the Western Ghats

range of Karnataka state, and flows from Karnataka through Tamil

Nadu. It empties into the Bay of Bengal. The source of the river is

Talakaveri located in the Western Ghats about 5,000 feet (1,500 m)

above sea level. It flows generally south and east for around 765 km,

emptying into the Bay of Bengal through two principal mouths. Its

basin is estimated to be 27,700 square miles (71,700 km²), and it has 5

many tributaries including Shimsha, Hemavati, Arkavathy, Kapila,

Honnuhole, Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Lokapavani, Bhavani, Noyyal

and Famous Amaravati.

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10. Mahanadi River

The Mahanadi River system is the third largest in the peninsula

of India and the largest river of Orissa state. The river begins in the

Baster hills of Madhya Pradesh flows over different geological

formations of Eastern Ghats and adjacent areas and joins the Bay of

Bengal after divided into different branches in the deltaic area. The

main branches of River Mahanadi meet Bay of Bengal at Paradip and

Nuagarh (Devi estuary). The tidal estuarine part of the river covers a

length of 40 km and has a basin area of 9 km2. Based on physical

characteristics, the estuary has been characterized as a partially mixed

coastal plain estuary.

The conservation and restoration of rivers are vital for

harnessing the direct and indirect benefits from such an ecosystem on

a sustainable basis. The water quality of the rivers in the country is

being monitored by several agencies, viz., Central Pollution Control

Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Boards, National River

Conservation Directorate, Central Water Commission, State Ground

Water Agencies and Central Ground Water Board.

RIVERS IN MAHARASHTRA

Maharashtra is the third largest state in India with an area of

308 lakh hectares. It is bordered by the states of Madhya Pradesh to

the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast,

Karnataka to the south, and Goa to the southwest. The state of Gujarat

lies to the northwest, with the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar

Haveli sandwiched in between. The Arabian Sea makes up

Maharashtra's west coast. The Western Ghats form one of the three

important watersheds of India, from which many South Indian rivers

originate, like Godavari, Bhima, Koyna and Krishna. In Maharashtra,

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of the 5 river basin systems, 55% of the dependable yield is available

in the four river basins (Krishna, Godavari, Tapi and Narmada) east of

the Western Ghats. These four river basins comprise 92% of the

cultivable land and more than 60% of the population in rural areas.

45% of state's water resources are from West Flowing Rivers which

are mainly monsoon specific rivers emanating from the Ghats and

draining into the Arabian Sea.

Figure 2: Shows map of Major River Basins in Maharashtra.

Our present study is related to the River Godavari in

Maharashtra. Godavari River is considered as “Gangs of Deccan” and

the “Gate of Hari”. It serves as source of water and plays a vital role

in improving socio-economic life of population residing on its bank.

The River Godavari is the largest of the peninsular rivers and the

second longest river in India next only to Ganga. It is a perennial

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river and big river basin in India. It flows in southern India and

considered to be one of the seven sacred rivers. The Origin of

Godavari is at Triyambakeshwar, in Deolali Hills near Nasik district

of Maharashtra State and flows east Deccan Plateau into the Bay of

Bengal near Narasapuram in West Godavari district of Andhra

Pradesh. Its elevation is about 920m and coordinates longitude 19055’

and latitude 73031’. The river and its tributaries flow through the

states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and

Andhra Pradesh. Although its point of origin is just 80 Km away from

the Arabian Sea, but it flows total length about 910 miles (1,465km).

Godavari basin extends over an area 3, 12,812 km2, which is nearly

9.5% of the total geographical area or the country. The basin lies in

the Maharashtra (152,199 km2), Andhra Pradesh (73,201 km2),

Madhya Pradesh (65,255 km2), Orissa (17,752 km2) and Karnataka

(4,405 km2). The Godavari basin consists of rising and falling plains

divided by low flat- topped hill ranges. The important soil types found

in the basins are black soils, red soils, lateritic soil, alluvium soil,

mixed soil and saline and alkaline soils. It flows across the Deccan

Plateau from Western to Eastern Ghats through Maharashtra and

Andhra Pradesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The major

tributaries of River Godavari are Manjira, Wainganga, Indravati,

Purna, Maner and Sabri, and there is a host of rivulets and seasonally

active streams serving as minor tributaries. The catchment area of

River Godavari is 315,980 km2 (Jhingran, 1997) to which

Maharashtra contributes 48.6%, Andhra Pradesh (23.8%), Madhya

Pradesh (20.7%), Orissa (5.5%) and Karnataka (1.4%). It includes the

densely forested high rainfall zones of the Western and Eastern Ghats,

and the intensely cultivated dry regions of the Deccan Plateau with

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low rainfall. The river is generally confined within the banks and

rarely overflows in its lower course. The river traverses 693 km in

Maharashtra and is largely developed by constructing weirs, barrages

and reservoirs for irrigation and domestic purposes. Two reservoirs,

one in Gangapur (2,230 ha) 15 km below its origin in Nashik District

and the larger Nathsagar (Jayakwadi dam or Nathsagar Reservoir -

35,000 ha) at Paithan in Aurangabad Distinct, are situated on the main

stream of River Godavari in Maharashtra. A 321-m long irrigation

barrage is situated at Vishnupuri, 8 km upstream of Nanded and

another old weir at Nandur-Madhyameswar, near Nashik. In addition,

there are 12 weirs like Kolhapur type in this stretch of Godavari in

Maharashtra. Due to dams and weirs, the flow in the river is not

continuous and water is mainly confined to these points leaving the

main course almost dry in the post-monsoon and summer months. The

important tributaries joining in this stretch are Pravara and Purna. The

peculiar characteristic of the river Godavari is that it receives most of

its water not from the Western Ghats but in the lower reaches. The

Manjara, the Pranahita, the Indravati and Sabari contribute 6%, 40%,

20% and 10% of the waters respectively. The principal tributaries of

the river are Pravara, Purna, Manjara, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga,

Pranahitha , Sabari , Indravati, kolab, Machkund.

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Figure 3: Shows River Godavari from origin to Bay of Bengal

Figure 3.1: Shows map of Godavari river basin with principal

Tributaries

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Figure 3.2: Map shows the location of Godavari river basin in

Maharashtra State

Salient Features of Godavari River

Origin of Godavari River Trimbakeshwar, Nasik

Total Length 1465 km.

Length of Godavari River in Maharashtra 788 km.

End of River Rajmehandi (W. Bangal )

Construction of other dams on Godavari

River

Gangapur Dam

Palkhed Dam

Darna Dam

Bhandardara Dam

Karanja Dam

Mula Dam

Nandur Madhmeshwar Dam

Jaikwadi Dam (Nathsagar Reservoir)

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Total % of Godavari & Other river water

in Maharashtra

Godavari- 51%

Krishna-24%

Tapi- 16%

Kokan Rivers-9%

Godavari River tributaries in Marathwada with special reference

to Aurangabad.

The history of Marathwada can be traced as far back as to the

days of the Satvahanas who ruled during the second and third

centuries A.D. with their capital at Pratishthanapura, the present day

Paithan. Pratishthanpura on the banks of the Godavari, referred to by

Greek historians of the second century A.D. as Paithan, was a great

commercial centre and was the capital of the Satavahans. Marathwada

region comprising of eight districts, viz. Aurangabad, Beed, Hingoli,

Jalna, Latur, Nanded, Osmanabad and Parbhani. The location of

Marathwada is on 70° 5’ –78° 5’ E longitude and 17° 5’ – 20° 5’ N

latitude forms the part of the vast Deccan plateau all of India and is

one of the six divisions of Maharashtra State. The total area of

Marathwada region is of 64,813 km. and is bounded by the Vidarbha

region on the North, by Andhra Pradesh on the East and Southeast, by

Karnataka on the South and by Western Maharashtra on the West. The

entire region is situated at an average height of about 300-650 m.

above Mean Sea Level gradually sloping from West to East, and is

traversed by hill ranges origination from the Sahyadris in the West

and the Satpudas in the North. The Godavari is the main river in the

Marathwada region. The region is divided into Upper Godavari basin,

Lower Godavari basin, Bindusara, Manjra, Manad, Terna, Teru and

Lendi are tributaries of Godavari and Sukhna rivers.

22

Aurangabad is the headquarters of the district as well as the

division – Marathwada. It is situated on the Kham River. Its

geographical location is Latitude 19° 53 ' North and Longitude 75° 20'

East. The city is situated in the Dudhana valley between the

Lakenvara range on the north and the Sattaras hills on the south. The

distance between the hills is about 16 – 20 km. The valley is open

towards the east; but on the west side, it gets closed due to deflection

and curving of northern range towards the city. At the base of both the

ranges, the soil is shallow and rocky, while towards the centre it

deepens and becomes rich and fertile gradually. Thus, the city is

placed on very uneven ground. Tributaries of Godavari River in

Marathwada Region especially with reference to Aurangabad are

Kham River, Sukhana River , Shivna River , Kol, Narigi Nalla, Purna

River , Kundlika River.

Figure 3.3: Photograph shows close view of Godavari River at

Paithan

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Maharashtra has the maximum dams in the country (35.7%)

i.e. with 1821 Large Dams and more in the offing. Our present study

work is on water quality of Nathsagar Reservoir which is also known

as Jaikwadi Dam. Among all dams in Maharashtra on Godavai river

Jaikwadi dam (Nathsagar reservoir) is one of the major projects,

which is located in Marathawada region. It is a multipurpose project

and one of the largest earthen dams in Asia. The Nathsagar Reservoir

was constructed mainly to overcome irrigation and drinking water

scarcity in the drought prone area in Marathwada region of the state.

In the absence of natural depressions and hilly terrain, this dam has

been constructed on almost flat land, because of the impounded water

spread is large, approximately 55 km long and 27 km wide. This

shallow water-spread, with resending water line is very attractive to a

large number of waterfalls. The dam is located 50 km from the south

of Aurangabad city (M.S.). It also provides water for drinking and

industrial usage to nearby towns and villages and to the municipalities

and industrial areas of Aurangabad and Jalna district. The 80% of

water of dam is meant for irrigation, 5-7% for drinking water and the

rest for industrial purposes. The surrounding area of the dam has a

garden and a bird sanctuary. Dnyaneshwar Udyan is one of the largest

gardens in Maharashtra resembling the Brindavan Gardens of Mysore.

It is spread over 125 hectares and is situated on the banks of

Nathsagar Lake formed due to dam. This Jaikwadi Dam (Nathsagar

Reservoir) is situated at Paithan Longitude 75017’ and Latitude

19029’. It is located on Godavari river at the site of Jayakawadi village

in Paithan taluka of Aurangabad district in Maharashtra state of India.

The foundation of the dam was laid by the Prime minister of India Lal

Bahadur Shastri on 18 October 1965. The dam was inaugurated on 24

24

February 1976 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Nathsagar

Reservoir is one of the largest irrigation projects in Aurangabad in

Maharashtra. In the year 2009 it has entered in 35th year of its life. It

has overflowed only 17 times in its lifetime.

Salient Features of Jaikwadi dam (Nathsagar Reservoir)

Catchment Area 21,750 sq.km.(8,400 sq.miles)

Total Area 350 sq.km.

Gross storage 2,909 m. cum (10,272m. eft.)

(103.89 TMC)

Maximum Height of Dam above

river Bed

37 meters (120 feet)

Length of Dam 10.20km

Length of over flow section 417m (1367 feet)

Type of Dam Earthen

Area under submergence 35,000 Hect (86,000acres)

Earth work 12,85 m cum. (759m cft.)

Masonry work 0.33 (11.86 m.cft)

Spillway gates

Number

Size

Type

Designed flood

27

12.50/7.90m.

Radial

18.150 cumel

Installed capacity for hydro Power 12 M.W.

25

Levels:

River Bed

Minimum Draw down level

Spillway crest

F.R.L.

H.F.L.

431.21m

455.98m

455.98m

463.90 M

465.59 M

Figure 4: Satellite view shows the catchment area of Jaikwadi

Dam (Nathsagar Reservoir) at Paithan

26

Figure 4.1: Photograph shows the close view of the Jaikwadi dam

(Nathsagar Reservoir)

Confronted with such a critical analysis, technocrats have

contemplated number of indirect benefits; fabricating justification for

the project. Without this project the city of Aurangabad and industrial

areas at Jalna and Aurangabad would have been deprived of water

supply. Official papers showed that only 2% of the total live storage

(116 MCM) is reserved for the urban water supply and actually only

1% (52 MCM) water is drawn by the city and industrial areas. A

series of large and medium dams were planned upstream of Jaikwadi

during the last two decades. Dams like Gangapur, Mula, Bam Bahuli

and Mukane on Godavari and its tributaries have left Jaikwadi with

27

very little chance of getting water storage beyond 15-20% of total live

storage capacity.

With growing urbanization and industrialization, peripheral

aquatic ecosystems come to occupy the prime areas with a very high

land value. With the promised volume of water being not impounded

every consequent year, stretches of low lying land are often escape

submergence and are reclaimed for cash-crop farming by the adjacent

farmers who use abundant pesticides and fertilizers. This authorized

reclamation effectively changes the morphology of water body.

Similarly, whenever water line recedes during summer or due to

inadequate monsoon, encroachment on the reservoir bed by

unauthorized settlers is always a possibility in the prevailing socio-

political environment. Soil and sand erosion due to excessive use of

sand in construction activity in the catchment generates a lot of silt

which, along with the surface runoff, ultimately ends up into Godavari

river & Nathsagar Reservoir. Similarly, the traditional festivals like

Ganesh and Durga Pooja conclude by immersion of massive idols

made of clay, plaster of Paris etc. in the river which flow down into

the river & dam. Apart from tons of silt, other things like paints,

pigments, wooden and iron frames etc. are also added by the Kham

river flowing in from the Aurangabad city.

Sources of Pollution:

Major causes for water quality degradation are categorically

mentioned known as point sources and nonpoint sources of pollution.

1. Point sources of pollution:

Domestic waste water

Industrial waste water

2. Non-point sources of pollution:

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Rural and Slum population, Open defecation, garbage

etc.

Agricultural Run-off

Storm water

Religious & traditional activities.

Domestic as well as industrial activities are important sources

for pollution during flow of the Rivers. Domestic sources as compare

to industrial sources exceed substantially in-terms of organic load

addition into the River. It is general tendency of human kind is to

situate near the water bodies. The disadvantage of having human

habitats on the bank of River or near the water bodies is polluting

Rivers or water bodies by human population. The water is polluting

by addition of various kinds of materials, solid waste, discharging of

sewage water into the flow of water. Water is not only polluting by

direct discharge but also indirect discharges which seriously affect the

aquatic biota as well as degrade the quality of water for various

consumption uses.

The presence of heavy metals in environment is a potential

problem to water and soil quality due to their high toxicity to plant,

animal, and human life. Moreover, heavy metals cannot be destroyed

chemically as organic pollutants. Therefore among all the pollutants,

heavy metals are most dangerous one as these are non – biodegradable

and persist in environment. These enter into the water resources

through both natural and anthropogenic sources. More attention is

being given to the potential health hazards posed by heavy metals.

Toxic metals cause toxicity to organisms even at ppm level of

concentration. Heavy metals are natural components of the earth's

crust. To a small extent they enter our bodies via food, drinking water

29

and air. Heavy metal poisoning could result from drinking-water

contamination, high ambient air concentrations near emission sources,

or intake via the food chain. Heavy metals are dangerous because

these tend to bioaccumulate. Bioaccumulation means an increase in

the concentration of a chemical in an organism over time, compared to

its concentration in the environment. Compounds accumulate in living

systems when these are taken up and are stored faster than these are

broken down i.e. metabolized or excreted. Heavy metals may enter a

water supply through industrial or consumer wastes releasing heavy

metals into streams, lakes, rivers, and groundwater. Unlike organic

pollutants, heavy metals, being non-biodegradable pose a different

kind of challenge for remediation.

Biological diversity provides the basis for life on earth. The

work on trace metal movement in food chain and food web, and their

bioaccumulation and bio-concentration clearly points out the

possibility of trace metal role in enhanced physiological susceptibility

of aquatic biota to sudden changes in physicochemical environment

due to pollution. A problem of heavy metal pollution associated with

areas of intense industries, but it also can originate from natural

geological weathering, processing of ores, use of metals, landfill

waste, livestock, animal and human excretions, urban run-off and re-

use of drainage water and sewage effluents. The uses of metal coating,

pesticides, fertilizers, etc. in agriculture are the other sources by which

heavy metals enter water. They enter through leaching, diffusion and

infiltration.

Nathsagar Reservoir is located in the Jurisdiction of Paithan

town & the town has historical importance since long ago. This town

is emerged as religious place hence all traditional and religious

30

activity had been done on the bank of River Godavari. The catchments

area of the river is highly occupied by small villages and agriculture

purposes. But now days it has been polluted due to different reasons.

On the bank of Godavari River there are many pollution sources like

Local nalla meets directly into the Godavari River, worship or

immerging material, body burning ash etc. merge into the Godavari

River, agriculture wastages, chemical fertilizer, pesticides, ash

detergents and soap wasters. The said river & dam is surrounded by

industrial zones, which might be contributing for pollutions of the

water in it. All these activities have been resulted in altering the

physiochemical nature and quality of water in the river, which

ultimately affect the diversity, and density of biomass in the water

bodies. This water bodies is the main source of water for drinking,

agricultural, fish farming and different domestic purposes of Paithan

Taluka and Aurangabad district. The changes in water characteristic

of the river and the impact of heavy metals on commercially

important species ecosystem and their many fold hazardous effect on

them; the present study has been focused to understand the water

quality of river Godavari at Nathsagar Reservoir.

STUDY AREA

Earlier studies were carried out by the various researchers. They

studied on water quality of Godavari River and showed that there are

various lotic areas in upper and lower Godavari River in Marathwada.

The level of water in most of the areas are much decreased in April,

May, June and period of August to January these areas are full of

water. Though the fish populations and other macro invertebrates

populations considerably decreases, most of the areas still show

abundances of aquatic plants benthic population even in summer

31

season during low level of water. The study was carried out seasonally

during the year 2009 to 2012 by collecting water samples from

different stations at the Nathsagar Reservoir of the Godavari River.

Three sampling sites were selected for the study and first sampling

site is at in side of dam near main gate, second sampling site is 250

mtrs away from sampling point of dam at downstream of Paithan and

third sampling site is 1.5 km away from sampling point of dam at

upstream of Paithan. The present study covered the stretch of the

Godavari river at Nathsagar Reservoir only.

Figure 5: Shows Locations of sampling stations on River

Godavari at Nathsagar Reservoir

The use of water in the world has increased by more than 35

times over the past three centuries. With a high priority for the

protection of water resources and concurrent legislation, protecting

and preserving the water resources of the land for future generation

becomes plansible. A scheme of study encompassing all following

32

objectives provides the framework for the present investigation. Water

samples were collected from three different sites of the Nathsagar

Reservoir and subjected to physicochemical analysis along with heavy

metal analysis. Heavy metal distribution in Godavari River is

considerably influenced by the tropical features of the location and by

human activities. The industrial units located along the banks of the

river discharge treated and untreated effluents into the river. River

Godavari is thus of considerable social, economic and commercial

importance. Since the characteristics of Godavari river system are

greatly influenced by the monsoonal cycle, a seasonal study is

expected to throw light on the behavior of physicochemical

parameters and metals within the study area.

The study was carried out with the following objectives:

1. To evaluate the water quality of River Godavari at

Nathsagar Reservoir.

2. To explore Physico-chemical aspects of the Godavari River

at Nathsagar Reservoir to assess the quality of water.

3. To study the aquatic biodiversity in the river.

4. To quantify and study the seasonal distribution of heavy

metals in the water samples collected from three different

sampling sites to evaluate water quality during various

seasons.

5. To study the uptake of heavy metals on aquatic biota.

6. To develop the mathematical model and to assess the

contribution of different physicochemical parameters of

water samples using Multiple Linear Regression

Analysis.

33

A scheme of study encompassing all these objectives provides

the framework for the present investigation. Water samples were

collected from the Nathsagar Reservoir and subjected to heavy metal

analysis along with physicochemical analysis. Since the

characteristics of Godavari river system are greatly influenced by the

monsoonal cycle, a seasonal study is expected to throw light on the

physic-chemical parameters aspect and behavior of metals within the

study area and to assess the quality of water at Nathsagar Reservoir.