International Research Journal of Environment Sciences________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414Vol. 3(9), 37-42, September (2014) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 37 Potable Water is a Serious Environmental Issue: A Special Study on Umiam Area, of Ri-Bhoi District, Meghalaya, IndiaChoudhury Moharana*, Paul Chinmoy and Kamboj Nitin3 Independent Researcher, Department of Environmental Science (CODL) Tezpur University, Assam, INDIA Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, 826004, Jharkhand, INDIA Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar-249404, INDIAAvailable online at: www.isca.in, www.isca.me Received 8th July 2014, revised 21st August 2014, accepted 20th September 2014 AbstractWater is life. It is the foundation for health, hygiene, progress and prosperity. Therefore efficient water management is essential to civil society for the betterment of quality of life. The objective of this study to access out the supply water pollution status of Umiam area, situated in the Ri-Bhoi district of Mehgalaya; Chemical analysis of samples were carried out for tape water as it is a source of supply water, in order to assess the physico-chemical parameters like pH, TDS, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium fluorides, chlorides, fluoride, arsenic, nitrite, potassium, iron and also microbiological tests examined, all Samples were collected randomly from the tape water around Umiam area, in order to find out the water quality status around area. The values of analysed samples were compared with the guideline of international standard. Present study may be treated as a step ahead towards the drinking water quality management. Keywords: Water, umiam, total coliform, WHO.IntroductionWater covers 78% of the earth’s surface, yet the water available for human use is limited. Water is a very essential substance for all living organisms, as it happens to be an important constituent in human body and play very important role in all metabolic process inside the body. This is the age of quality consciousness as we always insist on the quality of many things that we use or own. The quality of surface as well as ground water quality is constantly changing because of environmental degradation and anthropogenic activities which contribute in water pollution. The availability of safe potable water demand will be a challenging task in near future. Water quality factor is directly interrelated with the physical chemical and biological characteristics of its surrounding environment3-4. Safe drinking water is an important issue for human health point concern. Contamination in drinking water may lead to serious health hazards which may cause diseases viz typhoid, cholera, jaundice etc. In our country, many researches are continuously going on for assessment of pollution status of water bodies6-7 however in Meghalaya, bacteriological examination of water for drinking purposes is very limited. There is a huge water scarcity in Meghalaya especially in hilly areas as in hill area ground water level is low and insufficient to meet the supply demand with the rising population and industrialization effect. Although Meghalaya receives high rainfall every year compare to other states of India except for rainy season, water is a serious problem for almost every part of the state. The source of water is generally small streams, aquifer source, subsurface water source that generally comes out automatically from porous apertures from hillside and main source as rain water. But all these sources are also insufficient to meet the demand of huge population of the vast area. Water quality of all water sources that discussed are also not so much up to the mark in respect of portability concern. Since pure dirking water is an important environmental issue in this area, present study carries out to access the supply water quality of Umiam area (Barapani), which acts as the main source of drinking water and domestic use for local people. Material and MethodsThe Study Area: Umiam is an industrial area of Ri-Bhoi district is located about 22km from Shillong, Meghalaya, India, famous for the Umiam Lake (Barapnai Reservoir) which is having a Hydro-electric power plant controlled by the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL). This area also has some important organisations as the North Eastern Space Application Centre (NE-SAC), the North Eastern Regional institute of Educational Research (NEERI), MeECL office, SBI Umiam branch, a market complex and around 50 quarters for MeECL and other organisational official staffs. It also comprises of some major industry belt as, there is several number of Plywood, Cement, and flour mills, limestone factory, silicon factory, plastic product manufacture etc. The National Highway 40 (Guwhati-Shillong) road is passes through the Umiam area. Sample Collection: Water samples were collected from different locations around the Umiam area in plastic containers of 1 litter. Various parameters Viz. pH, TDS, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium fluorides, chlorides, fluoride, arsenic, nitrite, potassium, iron and microbiological examination were International Research Journal of Environment Vol. 3(9), 37-42, September (2014) International Science Congress Association analysed as per directions and guideline given b (2005).The main objective of this study to check the status of water quality, that supplied by MeCEL authority for Umiam quarter area which generally used for drinking and domestic purpose. Samples were collected randomly in month of May June 2014. The GPS coordinate of each sampling site were mentioned in table-1. Sample No/ID Latitude Umiam 1 25°40'25.14"N Umiam 2 25°40'19.95"N Umiam 3 25°40'16.15"N Umiam 4 25°39'54.12"N Umiam 5 25°39'52.56"N Umiam 6 25°40'0.44"N Umiam 7 25°40'4.83"N Umiam 8 25°40'9.10"N Umiam 9 25°40'12.76"N Umiam 10 25°40'9.51"N Environment Sciences_______________ _________________________ International Science Congress Association analysed as per directions and guideline given b y APHA (2005).The main objective of this study to check the status of water quality, that supplied by MeCEL authority for Umiam quarter area which generally used for drinking and domestic purpose. Samples were collected randomly in month of May - The GPS coordinate of each sampling site were Results and Discussion Results of all parameters after the test, compared with prescribed Limit of BIS and WHO for drinking water. Figure-1 Map of study Area Table-1 GPS location of sampling pointsLongitude Source 25°40'25.14"N 91°54'39.75"E Tape Water 25°40'19.95"N 91°54'33.45"E Tape Water 25°40'16.15"N 91°54'29.80"E Tape Water 25°39'54.12"N 91°54'6.87"E Tape Water 25°39'52.56"N 91°54'14.01"E Tape Water 91°54'20.71"E Tape Water 91°54'23.89"E Tape Water 91°54'16.50"E Tape Water 25°40'12.76"N 25°40'12.76"N Tape Water 91°54'22.63"E Tape Water _________________________ ______ ISSN 2319–1414 Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. 38 Results of all parameters after the test, compared with prescribed Limit of BIS and WHO for drinking water. Location Quarter Area Quarter Area Quarter Area Quarter Area Quarter Area Quarter Area Quarter Area Quarter Area Quarter Area Quarter Area International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 3(9), 37-42, September (2014) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 39 Table-2 Physico-chemical and microbiological parameter of different samples Parameter Um 1 Um2 Um 3 Um 4 Um 5 Um 6 Um 7 Um 8 Um 9 Um 10 WHO Limit BIS Limit Ranges pH 7.17 6.84 6.68 7.1 7.26 7.31 7.21 7.05 6.95 7.15 7-8.5 6.5-8.5 7.072±0.1973 TDS mg/l 105 87 115 121 135 148 133 127 152 141 500 500 126.4±20.0621 T A mg/l 21 17 24 23 18 22 25 19 24 21 200 200 21.4±2.7162 TH mg/l 97 105 80 82 87 91 98 92 103 96 500 300 93.1±8.3326 Chloride mg/l 12 11 7 9 8 12 6 10 12 8 200 250 9.5±2.2236 Fluoride mg/l ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 1.5 1 0 Calcium mg/l 34 29 33 31 26 28 32 35 33 34 75 75 31.5±2.9533 Magnesium mg/l 15 13 16 15 11 12 15 10 13 15 30 30 13.5±2.0138 Nitrite mg/l 0.003 0.006 0.004 0.003 0.007 0.006 0.007 0.006 0.002 0.005 0.02 0.02 0.0049±0.0017 Iron mg/l 0.11 0.1 0.11 0.1 0.11 0.09 0.07 0.08 0.11 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.098±0.0139 Potassium mg/l 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.7 NSL NSL 0.47±0.1888 Sulphide mg/l 0.007 0.006 0.004 0.006 0.007 0.002 0.005 0.004 0.003 0.006 0.05 0.05 0.005±0.0016 Arsenic mg/l 0.012 0.008 0.001 0.009 0.001 0.008 0.012 0.008 0.007 0.006 0.01 0.01 0.00723±0.0037 FC(MPN/100ml) 155 153 147 157 160 152 159 154 149 160 0 0 154.6±4.5018 TC(MPN/100ml) 175 173 169 180 177 173 171 173 179 178 5 5 174.8±3.6147 *Note: all parameter in mg/l, except pH, and FC (Faecal Coliform), TC (Total Coliform) in ml ND-(Not detected level). pH: In the present investigation the pH values of the water sample were in range from (6.68 to 7.31). So the study indicates that results obtained were within the desirable limit prescribed by BIS and WHO (table-2). The low pH does not cause any harmful effect. The results show that all the water samples were within permissible limits. TDS: Total dissolved solid refers to solid matter dissolved in water. More range of TDS value denotes more suspended or dissolved solid matters in water, which decrease the portability of water quality and may cause serious health problem specially stomach related. TDS values of all locations around Umiam area ranged from 87 mg/l to 152 mg/l and all samples were within desirable range shown in table 2. Total Alkalinity (TA): Strong acid neutralise capacity denotes as TA. It is the sum of hydroxides, carbonates and bicarbonates. Presence of hydroxides was not recorded in any samples of tape water of Umiam area bicarbonate was the major ion responsible for alkalinity in water. Total Alkalinity of all samples recorded as within the desirable limit prescribed by WHO and BIS. Total Hardness (TH): The condition which makes water forming an insoluble curd type substance with soap and is primary due to calcium and magnesium presence. These magnesium and calcium are key factor for total hardness in water. Total Hardness is not so much hazardous in health point of view. The acceptable limit of total hardness according to WHO and BIS is 200 mg/l. The hardness of analyzed water samples varied from 80 to 105 mg/l as CaCO. The highest value of total hardness was observed at sample no 2, as shown in Table 2. As per have classified water in range of 60-120 mg/l is moderate. Chloride (Cl) and Fluoride (F): The acceptable limit of chloride level in drinking water according to WHO and BIS is 200 mg/l and 250 respectively. The chloride level of analyzed water samples recorded within desirable range. The sources of fluorides are mainly, industries of iron, steel production, and petroleum refining and phosphate fertilizer. Higher concentration of fluoride causes bone and dental fluorosis. The BIS permissible limit for fluoride in groundwater is 1mg/l as given in table 2. However, in temperate region this limit is 1.5 mg/l, where, water intake is low. In present study Fluoride (F-) level concentration in all samples were in not detected range. Low Fluoride concentration may leads to dental problem for consumer. International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 3(9), 37-42, September (2014) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 40 Calcium (Ca2+) and Magnesium (Mg2+): The calcium and magnesium are the most abundant elements in the natural water they contribute to hardness of water. Both of the calcium and magnesium are inter-related. In present investigation these two parameters recorded in all samples within the desirable limit prescribed by WHO and BIS. Nitrite (NO) and Iron (Fe2+): In nature Nitrogen in ground water ultimately oxidised to nitrite. High concentration of nitrite causes Methemoglobinia (Blue baby) disease. Nitrite generally found soil and it found as NO3 forms. As per the present study the concentration of nitrite and iron in all locations within desirable range prescribed by WHO and BIS. Potassium (K) and Sulphide: The concentration of potassium level varied from .02 to .07. mg/l as for potassium there is no specific limit for WHO. All samples varied ranges within the permissible limit of .05 mg/l table2. Sulphide generally found in the form of H2 S. The levels of sulphide concentration in all samples were found within permissible range as shown in table 2. Arsenic (As): Arsenic is a very important parameter for drinking water quality concern. As arsenic is more carcinogenic and causes cancer. In ground water generally arsenic contamination is found and it has become a global environmental issue. In present study the concentration of arsenic level within the desirable limit in all samples that examined. In ground water generally arsenic contamination is found. Arsenic is more carcinogenic compare to other Physico-chemical parameters, it is very important to study the presence of arsenic in the collected sample. But the collected sample shows that the arsenic is in the permissible limit.Table-3 Correlation of different parameter pH TD TA TH Cl Ca Mg Nitrite Iron Potassium Sulphide Arsenic FC TC 1 0.48 -0.06 0.04 .07 -0.31 -0.29 0.36 -0.34 -0.26 0.13 0.34 0.70 0.33 1.00 0.43 -0.08 -0.05 -0.02 -0.24 0.00 -0.16 -0.42 -0.52 -0.15 0.10 0.33 1.00 -0.20 -0.28 0.36 0.61 -0.42 -0.15 -0.34 -0.43 0.21 -0.26 -0.08 1.00 0.43 0.12 -0.14 0.03 -0.05 -0.20 .00 0.49 0.03 0.08 1.00 -0.03 -0.36 -0.40 0.29 -0.46 -0.26 0.31 -0.40 0.28 1.00 0.35 -0.47 -0.13 0.23 -0.09 0.34 -0.19 -0.06 1.00 -0.45 0.20 0.25 0.23 0.17 -0.05 -0.08 1.00 -0.59 0.19 0.07 -0.12 0.46 -0.45 1.00 0.27 0.28 -0.51 -0.30 0.39 1.00 0.59 -0.40 0.22 -0.27 1.00 0.03 0.65 0.29 1.00 0.19 0.03 1.00 0.37 1.00 Table-4 Relation of other parameters with pH Dependent Variable Independent Variable Correlation Reg. Coeff Standard Error pH TDS mg/l 0.197823779 0.004701855 0.183806285 pH TA mg/l 0.017806122 0.208899151 -0.004337349 pH TH mg/l 0.035007995 0.209144272 0.000828933 pH Chloride mg/l 0.065847014 0.208818372 0.005842697 pH Calcium mg/l -0.312717194 0.198776753 -0.02089172 pH Magnesium mg/l -0.290823601 0.200227097 -0.028493151 pH Nitrite mg/l 0.358888815 0.195330879 39.51557093 pH Iron mg/l -0.336660904 0.197056464 -4.75 pH Potassium mg/l -0.26359823 0.201871115 -0.275389408 pH Sulphide mg/l 0.129217304 0.207518072 15 pH Arsenic mg/l 0.338452922 0.19692198 17.84996943 pH FC(MPN/100ml) 0.697764442 0.149907638 0.03058114 pH TC(MPN/100ml) 0.326223887 0.197823779 0.017806122 International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 3(9), 37-42, September (2014) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 41 Bacteriological Examination: Microbial analysis of water is to check the presence of different groups of microorganisms present in water. This can be done by various techniques of biological examinations. One of the most widely used techniques for checking the total coliform bacteria is the (Most Probable Number) MPN technique. In present study it was recorded that, the presence of TC (Total Coliform) and FC (Faecal Coliform) in all samples were recorded very high range, that indicates the water is not suitable for drinking purpose and may leads to serious health problem for consumers. As Hazen, who studied drinking water and diarrhoeal disease due to Coli form reported that prevention of faecal contamination prevents water born diseases10. In all samples of Umiam area found as high range of Escherichia coli contamination as the range of 147ml to 160 ml for FC and 169 ml to 180 ml in per 100 ml as shown in figure 2. As per WHO and BIS guideline for drinking water quality, the acceptable range for TC and FC, are 5 ml and 0 ml respectively, by this study it can be concluded that sewage contamination must be there in the water supply system. Correlation Analysis: From the below table it can be observed that pH has high correlation (considering abs (0.3) as cut-off value) with 7 out 14 variables. The individual relationship with each of these variables is shown in table 4. The correlation coefficient measures the degree of linear relationship between two variables. High values of regression coefficients and the multiple R-square values are the characteristics of better fit. Conclusion In this study characterization of the physiochemical parameters and Microbiological examination of tape water that was performed from the ten different samples at different locations in Umiam area, the main objective was to determine the standard of supply water quality around the area. The concentration of various parameters especially as TC (Total Coliform) and FC (Faecal Coliform) were reported very high in level as per the desirable limit of WHO and BIS. All water samples of Umiam area were recorded having a very high range of TC and FC. Presence of high level of Escherichia coli presence can lead to dangerous health problem for consumers. Presence of fluoride concentration level in the samples however, was not in range of detected level in all the samples of Umiam area. As fluoride concentration level in drinking water is an important factor for dental health concern. The authors’ suggestion to readers is that they should prefer boiled water for drinking and the administration should take improved water treatment process for supply. Acknowledgement The authors are thankful to the EREC India Research Laboratory, Guwhati, Assam, India. Figure-2 A Graphic Representation of FC (Faecal Coliform) and TC (Total Coliform)   20406080100120140160180200 FC(Faecal Coliform ) TC (Total Coliform ) International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 3(9), 37-42, September (2014) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 42 References 1.Canter L.W., Knov R.C. and Fairchild D.M., Groundwater Quality Protection, Lewis publishers Inc, London, 257 (1987)2.Tatawat R.K. and Singh Sandal C.P., Characterization of quality and suitability of ground water of Jaipur city for the multipurpose usages, Pollution research, 26(4), 681-685 (2007) 3.Langmuir D., Aqueous Environ-mental Geochemistry. Prentice-Hall, USA (1997)4.Lester J.N. and Birkett J.W., Microbiology and Chemistry for Environmental Scientists and Engineers, 2nd end. E & FN Spon, New York (1999) 5. 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