Assessment of water quality parameters of Buddha Nullah in Ludhiana district of Punjab

A study was carried out to assess the water quality of Buddha Nullah in Ludhiana district of Indian Punjab. Water samples were collected seasonally from five different spots i.e. Machhiwara (upstream), Buddhewal, Jamalpur, Sunder Nagar and Walipur Kalan (downstream) of Buddha Nullah stretch across Ludhiana city, an industrial hub of Punjab. Laboratory analysis of the collected water samples was performed seasonally in April, June, July and December 2015 for testing various parameters like water temperature (WT), pH, free CO₂, total hardness (TH), DO, BOD and EC by using standard methods recommended by APHA. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed at highly polluted spots of Jamalpur and Walipur downstream of Buddha Nullah showing higher pollution parameters values i.e. free CO₂ (253 mg/l), TH (610.4 mg/l), BOD (156.5 mg/l) which were more than the prescribed limits of WHO. Untreated effluents from industrial sector of Ludhiana that were discharged directly into the water without proper remediation were the major source of pullutants in the Budha Nallah that has become a major cause of aquatic biodiversity loss.