Assessment of Seasonal Variation in Water Quality of Gomti River, Jaunpur City, India

The city of Jaunpur is an ancient city, situated on the banks of river Gomti. Population growth and urbanization rate in the last few decades have affected the environment of this city at a rapid pace like other big cities of India. The process of population growth, urbanization, and industrialization accelerated the rate of environmental degradation which has increased the level of pollutants. Due to population growth, urbanization, and industrialization, all the sources of drinking water in Jaunpur city have become polluted to such an extent that any use without their proper treatment can cause serious health problems. River Gomti in Jaunpur serves as a major source of domestic water supply to the city; but if drainage situation is taken into account, the river during its course directly receives untreated domestic wastewater from Jaunpur city (about 450 MLD). Due to this uncontrolled situation, the quality of river water is deteriorating day by day. The water quality of the Gomti River can be seen as less polluted when entering the city, but it increases as it moves into the core of the city. The present study intends to determine status of water quality of river Gomti stretch in Jaunpur city. It also aims to determine the level of variables to assess an integrated result which will depict the accurate quality status in order to manage the various location points for planning and prospects. Seven stations were selected along the stretch of river to determine the quality of water. Water quality data has been collected through sampling and its analysis for pre- and post-monsoon season (2015 and 2016) of water in river Gomti. Weighted Arithmetic Index method adopted by various researcher of this field has been applied to calculate the water quality index (WQI).