Belgaum is considered as the second capital of Karnataka. The process of urbanization here is very fast, bringing more and more villages into the city arena. However, there are limited facilities for sewage treatment and recycling. Sewage water from the city is diverted through Bellary nala which flows through the major part of the city. In some parts of the city farmers use this sewage water for agriculture purpose. Sewage water when used for agriculture, poses the threat of soil and water contamination in the locality. Some of these (chemicals) contaminants remain in the root zone, whereas some are transported downward with water, particularly where more water infiltrates into the soil than is used by the crop.
To understand the impact of some of these chemicals, it is important to investigate the processes that control their movement from the soil surface through the root zone down to the groundwater table. In this connection, a preliminary investigation was conducted in the year 1999 and again 2004 to evaluate the water quality parameters of Bellary nala and the nutrient status of the soil where sewage water is used for agriculture. The study indicated that water is highly contaminated in terms of its major constituents particularly during the summer months. DO - BOD estimation also indicated that the Bellary nala water needs some treatment before being used for agriculture purpose. In order to get preliminary information, groundwater status in the adjoining areas of the catchment data has been collected and analyzed which indicated that the impact of sewage water is negligible except in few patches like Kudchi and Shahpur areas of the city. |
