ASSESSMENT ON IMPACT OF MASS BATHING ON WATER QUALITY OF GODAVARI RIVER DURING KUMBH MELA IN NASHIK CITY, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA, 2015

摘要

Mass bathing is an age old holy practice in India. The present study was done with an aim to study the impact of mass bathing on water quality of Godavari River in Nashik city. Water samples were collected from five locations within Nashik city namely Anandwalli, Gharpure ghat, Ramkund, Tapovan and Odha. The main bathing sites were Ramkund and Tapovan. The collected samples were analysed for Temperature, pH, OD, TS, TSS, TDS, DO, BOD, COD, MPN and Fecal coliforms as per the standard methods. The biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, Most Probable number of coliforms and fecal coliforms were deteriorated after mass bathing. It was concluded from the results that mass bathing results in significant changes in the riverì water quality. The study indicated that the water of Godavari River was unsafe for human health. The higher number of fecal coliforms in the water indicated the possibility of presence of pathogenic microorganisms, which might cause waterborne diseases. A significant strong positive correlation was observed between BOD and COD. A significant and negative correlation of DO with BOD and Turbidity in terms of optical density (OD) was observed.