Effect of land use on the water quality of the Turag River

Abstract

Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The population of Dhaka is now more than 15 million (1). The population of Dhaka is increasing day by day. Same thing is happening in the northern part of the city i.e. in Uttara, Tongi, Gazipur the population is increasing rapidly due to urbanization and industrialization. The approximate population in the northern part of the city is almost two million (1). Turag River flows alongside the northern part of the city. Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization in the northern part the Turag River is being polluted in various ways. This pollution is mainly because of various types land use of those particular areas. Lands are used in various purposes but particularly for residential, industrial and agricultural purposes. Alongside the Turag River lands are mainly used mainly for these three purposes. As a result of pollutants from these sectors are Turag River is continuously being polluted and now-a-days this has become a major concern. The main concern of this research is to characterize the pollutants coming from residential, industrial and agricultural areas. This research is conducted to measure the quality and quantity of waste effluent in Turag River. That is, the main objective is to identify the amount of waste effluent in the river along with their probable effect on the quality on the water of Turag River. To do so, water samples were collected particularly from five (5) different points of the Turag River based on type of land use around that point. The samples were being tested in the laboratory. Six (6) basic water quality parameters were considered for the tests. Those are pH, Colour, Turbidity, Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Total Dissolved Solid (TDS), and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). These tests were being done to determine the quality of water of Turag River due to waste effluent. In order to determine the quantity of waste effluent in the Turag River a generalized survey was being done around the sample collection sites. The survey covered residential, industrialized and agricultural areas. From the survey various data related to quantity of waste effluent were determined. And from the survey a clear conception about the land use along the Turag River has been made.