Abstract

The Mullaiperiyar River is one of the most imperative South Indian rivers. The present study was aimed to investigate the influence of physico-chemical factors in biological changes of Mullaiperiyar River water in Theni district. Water samples were collected from the upstream area (near the Dam - Lower camp, Kullapagoundanpatty, Karunakka muthanPatti), urban stretch area (Surlipatti, Uthamapalayam, Chinnamanur and Veerapandi) and downstream area (Theni-Aranmanaipudur, Vaigai Dam) during the period of December 2013 to March 2014 for the analysis. The samples were analyzed for various physico-chemical parameters like temperature, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), total alkalinity (TA), calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, chloride, nitrate, nitrities, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), iron, and bacteriological analysis was also performed. The Mullaiperiyar River water was natural medium for the growth of bacteria. In this study, bacterial colonies such as Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Proteus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Salmonella typhi and Shigella dysentery organisms have been found and reported here. These findings demonstrated the non-portability of mullaiperiyar river water and this scenario alarms the need for appropriate sanitation and drainage systems.

Key words: Mullaiperiyar River, physico-chemical parameters, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Escherichia coli, Salmonella, non-portable water, sanitation.