Water Quality–Based Environmental Flow under Plausible Temperature and Pollution Scenarios
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VIEW THE REPLYPublication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 24, Issue 5
Abstract
This study aimed to estimate water quality–based minimum environmental flow (Eflow) of a river under the impact of different plausible scenarios. The water quality model QUAL2K was deployed to simulate levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in a river during the dry season. Hypothetical scenarios of pollution were generated by varying BOD in contributing drains, and climate change scenarios were generated by altering air temperature over the study region. DO and BOD levels were simulated under the impact of various scenarios. Corresponding to each scenario, minimum Eflow throughout the river stretch—that is, the headwaters flow (quantity and quality) meeting desirable river water quality standards (as proposed by the Indian Central Pollution Control Board)—was explored. Water quality charts were developed for direct and user-friendly estimation of Eflows. The proposed approach was applied to the Yamuna and Bhadra rivers in India. The results reveal the inefficiency of existing river flow conditions in maintaining permissible water quality standards. Adverse effects of pollution load, upstream diversions, and climate change are highlighted.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the Department of Science and Technology (India) for partly supporting this study through Grant No. SB/S3/CEE/045/2014 to Dr. C. T. Dhanya. The authors sincerely thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for reviewing the manuscript and providing insightful comments. The authors also express thanks to the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, for supporting this work.
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Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 24 • Issue 5 • May 2019
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©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 14, 2017
Accepted: Dec 3, 2018
Published online: Mar 8, 2019
Published in print: May 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Aug 8, 2019
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