African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability

African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability ISSN: 2375-0936 Vol. 5 (4), pp. 191-200, April, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Environmental flows in Bhadra River, Karnataka, India

B. K. Harish Kumara, S. Srikantaswamy* and Shakuntala Bai

Department of Studies in Environmental Science, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri Mysore – 570 006, India.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +91-821-2410552 (O), +91-9448275348.

Accepted 16 September, 2010

Abstract

Environmental water requirements, also referred as ‘environmental flows’, are a compromise between water resources development and the maintenance of a river in ecologically acceptable or agreed condition. Managing environmental water flow is a complex task because the change of quantity of water occurs as the flow moves downstream. In this work, an attempt has been made to evaluate the existing conditions of the water flow in the Bhadra River at Lakkavalli, Shimoga District, Karnataka State, India and the significance of the ecosystem services through environmental flows. The possible impacts from the absence of environmental flows have also been recorded. The study involves an analysis of water flow status of Bhadra River for thirty years and also the field investigations which cover complete livelihood dependent fishermen communities and command area dependent agricultural communities. The upper catchment of the river is covered with good vegetation; the downstream of the river for 40 km has shrunken in its river bed due to the Bhadra dam, the river flow is completely irregular over a period of years. It has altered the natural flow, resulting in massive loss of riparian, aquatic habitat and water quality. Local communities are aware of the importance of environmental flows and have also realized the damages done by themselves through encroachments of flood plains and river bed for agricultural activities. More than 60% of the downstream dwellers have changed their livelihood occupations, and also migration level has increased in the fishermen communities. Communities have been impacted by irregular dry season water level fluctuations, which are characterized by extreme highs and lows, and rapid changes in water levels.

Key words: Environmental flows, ecosystem services, Bhadra River, water environment, livelihood support.

African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability ISSN: 2375-0936 Vol. 5 (2), pp. 176-182, February, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Improvement of water treatment plants capacity and effluent quality by introducing "NINIVITE" as new filtration media

Sati M. Al-Rawi* and Kahtan A. Al-Najjar

Mosul University Technical College/Kirkuke Iraq.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 23 October, 2009

Abstract

This work compares the performance of four types of filters, three of them are dual media/capping filters and the fourth is a single medium sand filter. The filters were made to operate with the same effective size and the same depth. These filter were subjected to the same operating conditions of filtration rates and influent turbidity. A new locally available filter medium called ninivite (recently discovered rock) was introduced to act as an upper layer of one of the selected dual media filters. To verify the goals of this work a pilot plant similar to the classical water treatment plant was constructed. Filtration system consisted of four glass column filters, acting parallel and simultaneously. The first three columns contained 20 cm of granular ninivite rock GNR, granular activated carbon GAC, and anthracite coal respectively over 40 cm of sand. The fourth column was kept with 60 cm sand to act as a single –medium filter. The effective size of each media grains was 0.82 mm with a uniformity coefficient 1.6. A total of 18 runs for natural raw water turbidity were conducted. Run times of these experiments amounted to 12-27 h. The filters were operated at rates of 4.9, 7.3, and 9.8 m/h; which were 1, 1.5 and 2 times the current rate at treatment plants. The results were encouraging .Using filters consisting of GNR and sand operated at mentioned rates appeared to have the best performance for the studied parameters. Efficiency of turbidity removal amounted to 91.31% for sample having 9.9 NTU at filtration rate 4.9 m/h. Such performances were also recorded for other dual – media filters for the considered rates. GNR filter also showed considerable efficiency in bacterial removal.

Key words: Water treatment, dual- media filters, capping filtration, ninivite/porcelanite, drinking water filtration.

African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability ISSN: 2375-0936 Vol. 4 (1), pp. 144-150, January, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

A methodology of finding dispersion coefficient using computational fluid dynamics (CFDs)

Rouzbeh Abbassi*, Faisal Khan and Kelly Hawboldt

Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St.John’s, NL, Canada, A1B 3X5, Canada.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 5 June, 2010

Abstract

The treatment efficiency of waste stabilization pond is directly related to its hydraulic regime. The hydraulic efficiency of the pond is dependent on parameters such as the pond geometry, the location of inlet and outlet and the inlet flow velocity. Poorly designed or specified hydraulic parameters may lead to short circuiting and dead regions within the pond. This in turn impacts the dispersion coefficient. Drogue and tracer studies are often used to get actual dispersion coefficients; however, tracer studies can be costly and are therefore not practical to do frequently. The objective of this paper is to obtain the actual dispersion coefficient using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach (using Fluent). The CFD results are validated using an actual tracer test.

Key words: Stabilization pond, modeling, computational fluid dynamic, residence time distribution, dispersion coefficient.

African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability ISSN: 2375-0936 Vol. 4 (3), pp. 160-166, March, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Prioritization of micro watersheds on the basis of soil erosion hazard using remote sensing and geographic information system

Vipul Shinde*, K. N. Tiwari and Manjushree Singh

Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India-721302, India.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +91 - 3222 – 283150.

Accepted May 28, 2010

Abstract

Degradation of agricultural land by soil erosion is worldwide phenomenon leading to loss of nutrient-rich surface soil, increased run off from more impermeable subsoil and decreased water availability to plant. Thus estimation of soil loss and identification of critical area for implementation of best management practice is central to success of soil conservation programme. In this study universal soil loss equation (USLE) interactively with raster-based geographic information system (GIS) has been applied to calculate potential soil loss at micro watershed level in the Konar basin of upper Damodar Valley Catchment of India. The main advantage of the GIS methodology is in providing quick information on the estimated value of soil loss for any part of the investigated area. The rainfall erosivity R-factor of USLE was found as 293.96 and the soil erodibility K-factor varies from 0.325 - 0.476. Slopes in the catchment varied between 0 and 83% having LS factor values ranging from 0 - 6.7. The C-factor values were computed from existing cropping patterns in the catchment and support practice P-factors were assigned by studying land slope. Average annual soil erosion at micro watershed level in Konar basin having 961.4 km² areas was estimated as 1.68 t/ha/yr. Further, micro watershed priorities have been fixed on the basis of soil erosion risk to implement management practices in micro watersheds which will reduce soil erosion in Konar basin.

Key words: Remote sensing, soil erosion, geographic information system, universal soil loss equation, priority.