Groundwater Quality of Regions Surrounding the Noyyal River in Tiruppur District and its Impact on Agriculture

Abstract

Public policy is in response to public real-world problems. Its relevance is also essential as well. One such policy is to control the pollution problem in rivers. In this connection, evidence is focused here by a research study on Noyyal river pollution in Tiruppur district of Tamil Nadu state in India. The Noyyal River is one of the non-perennial rivers flowing in the eastern part of Tamil Nadu, predominantly in the Tiruppur district. Its river basin, including groundwater, gradually deteriorated due to the discharge of industrial effluents (pollution) over the years until 2011, after which the ZLD policy was in practice in complete stoppage of pollution.  This study evaluated groundwater quality and its impact on the area surrounding the Noyyal River in the Avinashi and Palladam blocks of the Tirupur district after the implementation of ZLD. The selected block is divided into three regions based on the distance from the river, with 40 sample farms from each region contributing to a total of 120 samples. Based on the farmer’s opinion, the study found that water quality was inferior in the closer region as it tasted inadequate (salty) and unsuitable for use. However, in distant regions, the water tastes good. The results can be proved with groundwater samples in the study area with high salt contents (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, etc.). The constructed water quality index is also high (>75%) in the closer region, showing the pollution intensity. The study concludes that pollution caused by the dyeing industries in the groundwater still exists in the study area and therefore recommends allotment of a small area of land under farm ponds to store good quality water during rains, thereby ensuring percolation of rainwater to improve the quality of groundwater and thus enabling the ecosystem for agricultural improvement.