Present Status of Hydrographical Variables of the Amirthi River in Amirthi Forest, Vellore

Abstract

ABSTRACT
The present study was carried out to determine the water quality in terms of physicochemical characteristics variables in the running water ecosystem for a period of three months from January to March 2007. The post-monsoon variation of hydrography variables and dissolved nutrients such as PO4-P, NO3-N, NO2-N, K, Mg and Ca were high at all the stations. In the running water, the Chloride (24 mgl−1 to 1733 mgl−1), Fluoride (0.2 mgl−1 to 0.4 mgl−1), Sulphate (12 mgl−1 to 499 mgl−1), Phosphate (0.02 mgl−1 to 0.12 mgl−1) and Tidy’s test (0.4 mgl−1 to 0.9 mgl−1) were recorded during the study periods. In general, the concentrations of physicochemical variables were relatively high during the post-monsoon season at all the stations due to the receiving of nutrients subsequent to the monsoon season for the heavy rain fall in Amirthi river. In the Amirthi forest, the normal condition is retained. So, these results clearly indicate the local hydrography, seasonalty, spatial variability and physiochemical parameters are normal.
Keywords: Present status, hydrography, nutrients. Amirthi river and forest