Consequences of environmental characteristic from livestock and domestic wastes in wetland disposal on ground water quality in Lucknow (India)

Abstract

The objective of present research was to assess pH, chloride, alkalinity, hardness, nitrate, phosphate, sulphate and metals leaching to shallow groundwater and to quantify the impact of the sources. The complex array of potential point and nonpoint sources were divided into three major source areas representing liquid manure, dry manure and domestic waste in feed storage areas. An extensive shallow groundwater monitoring network (hand pumps and submersible pumps) was installed in three representative wetlands operations in the north Lucknow from summer, monsoon and winter season 2014. The range of observed nitrate and salinity levels was similar on all five dairies. Average concentration of phosphate, sulphate, alkalinity, chlorides, pH and hardness were higher in summer season (PO₄; 0.15, SO₄; 40.15, alkalinity; 351.80, chloride; 45.41, pH; 7.91, hardness 330.60 mg/L) whereas nitrate in monsoon season (NO₃; 17.12 mg/L). The metals concentration was higher in winter season such as Cr; 0.0050, Zn; 0.0067, Cd; 0.0024, Pb; 0.0064, Fe; 0.8283, Mg; 1.6071, Co; 0.0037, Ni; 0.0258 mg/L whereas Cu; 0.0476, Mn; 0.0470 mg/L was higher in monsoon season in shallow groundwater. Concentrations of above metals were more than the concentration was found in control sample. Results concluded that leaching from those mismanagement areas, since manure-treated fields represent the extreme contaminated land area of the dairy, proper nutrient management will be a key to protecting groundwater quality in dairy regions overlying alluvial aquifers.

Keywords: Ground water, season, metals leaching, wetlands, Lucknow