Physio-chemical analysis of water from different altitudes of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

The research aimed to investigate how variations in altitude affect the physiochemical properties of water. Water samples were collected from waterspouts at altitudes ranging from 4146 to 7762 ft during spring season in the Kathmandu Valley. These water samples were collected from water sources of different locations varying altitudes and measured with the help of the smartphone application ‘Accurate Altimeter’. Since there is a limitation of literature on this aspect, the current study was designed to examine the water quality parameters like pH, electrical conductivity, hardness, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, and total solids, etc. The relationship between elevation and parameters is explained by the idea of Karl’s Pearson Coefficient of Correlation. The water sample taken from a drying out stone waterspout named ‘Nag Bahal’ at, Lalitpur at 4253ft was not in usable form and revealed values of water quality parameters that were unrelated to altitude. However, some parametric values of water samples decreased, other increased and some of them were unrelated with the variation of altitude. The study reveals that the physical parameters of water bodies vary, with the altitude of water bodies affecting their water quality. This paper illustrates the dependency of the quality of water on the altitude and topography of the water source.