Physicochemical assessment of two freshwater dams from Jawhar, Palghar (M.S.) India

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the water quality status of two prominent freshwater reservoirs, Jaysagar Dam and Jamsar Dam situated in Jawhar Tehsil of Palghar District, Maharashtra. The physicochemical analysis was conducted over a period of two years from June 2021 to May 2023. The samples were collected twice a month from designated stations and analyzed for key parameters including Atmospheric Temperature (AT), Water Temperature (WT), Rainfall (RF), pH, Turbidity (NTU), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Salinity (Cl⁻), Alkalinity (CO₃²⁻ and HCO₃⁻), Calcium (Ca²⁺), Silicates (SiO₂), Phosphate (PO₄³⁻–P), Nitrate (NO₃⁻–N), Nitrite (NO₂⁻–N), Ammonia (NH₃–N), and Optical Density of Chlorophyll Pigment (OD Chl.). The findings from both the stations revealed variations between the water parameters, AT ranged between 15.0 to 27.20C, WT 18.3 to 29.10C, highest RF with 1452.4 mm precipitation recorded in July 2022, pH 6.22 to 8.46, turbidity 4.00 to 15.12 NTU, DO 4.52 to 8.60 mg/l, Cl⁻ 2.34 to 11.65 mg/l, CO₃²⁻ 1.90 to 15.60 mg/l, HCO₃⁻ 30.90 to 200.10 mg/l, Ca²⁺ 8.89, to 42.30 mg/l, SiO₂ 4.98 to 23.72 mg/l, PO₄³⁻–P 0.018 to 0.061 mg/l, NO₃⁻–N 0.20 to 9.10 mg/l, NO₂⁻–N 0.01 to 0.09 mg/l, NH₃–N 0.019 to 0.097 mg/l, and OD of Chlorophyll pigment ranged between 0.080 to 0.520. All the parameters were found within permissible limits. These results provide baseline data for Jawhar’s freshwater ecosystem, which helps to assess and manage regional water quality.