Water quality assessment of Upper Ganga and Yamuna river systems during COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown: imprints of river rejuvenation

Clean river water is an essential and life-sustaining asset for all living organisms. The upper Ganga and Yamuna river system has shown signs of rejuvenation and tremendous improvement in the water quality following the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. All the industrial and commercial activity was shut down, and there was negligible wastewater discharge from the industries. This article addresses the water quality assessment from the study area, which is based on the original data of physical parameters, major and trace elements, and stable isotopes (hydrogen and oxygen) systematics during the nationwide lockdown. The impact of the lockdown could be seen in terms of an increase in dissolved oxygen (DO). Water samples were collected from the Upper Ganga and Yamuna river basins (Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, and Tons rivers) during an eight-week lockdown in Uttarakhand, India. We discussed the signs of rejuvenation of riverine based on physical parameters, major ions, trace elements, isotopic ratios, and water pollution index (WPI). Results reveal that the water quality of the entire upper basins of the Ganga has significantly improved by 93%, reflecting the signs of self-rejuvenation of the rivers. Multivariate analysis suggests a negative factor loading for an anthropogenic element ( \({NO}_{3}^{-}\) ${\mathit{NO}}_3^{-}$ ), implying that they contribute little to the river water during the lockdown. Further, bicarbonate ( \({HCO}_{3}^{-}\) ${\mathit{HCO}}_3^{-}$ ) is a dominant element in both river basins. The geochemical facies are mainly characterized by the ( \({{Ca}^{2+} :{Mg}^{2+} : HCO}_{3}^{-}\) ${{\mathit{Ca}}^{2+}:{\mathit{Mg}}^{2+}:HCO}_3^{-}$ ) type of water, suggesting that silicate rock weathering dominates with little influence from carbonate weathering in the area. The positive factor loadings of some cations, like \({HCO}_{3}^{-}\) ${\mathit{HCO}}_3^{-}$ , \({Ca}^{2+}\) ${\mathit{Ca}}^{2+}$ , and \({Mg}^{2+}\) ${\mathit{Mg}}^{2+}$ reflect their strong association with the source of origin in the lockdown phases. Stable isotopic reveals that the glaciated region contributed the most to the river basin, as evidenced by the low d-excess in riverine water compared to anthropogenic contributions. Rivers can self-rejuvenate if issues of human influence and anthropogenic activities are adequately resolved and underline our responsibility for purifying the ecosystem. We observed that this improvement in the river water quality will take a shorter time, and quality will deteriorate again when commercial and industrial activity resumes.