Integrated Ecological River Health Assessment of Netravathi Basin Based on Physiochemical and Hydrochemical Analysis

Abstract

River health assessment is critical, and it is essential to monitor the river's quality and health condition. Because most rivers are drying up and becoming polluted as a result of a lack of assessment and regular maintenance, all major elements of a riverine system, such as aquatic flora and fauna, water quality, habitat, hydrology, the physical shape of the channel, and other geomorphological elements, should be considered and included in it. The objective of this research is to assess the health of the Netravathi River using physiochemical parameters. River Netravathi is the only freshwater resource in Mangalore's coastal metropolis. The river flows 103 km from its point of origin to Mangalore city, with catchment area of 3657 Km2. To assess river health, seven physical parameters were measured seasonally at the river site, and laboratory testing of river water samples for eight chemical parameters have been carried out. Rivers are essential to the life and survival of many plant and animal species. The discharge of sewage, industrial effluents, municipal solid waste, agricultural waste all of which impact the water quality carried by river flow. According to the findings, the health of the River Netravathi is considerably better in the post-monsoon season than in the pre-monsoon season, because the river becomes dry in most sections of the district and the flow of river water drops dramatically. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.