Articles

The Buriganga and Turag rivers are two of the major water bodies surrounding Dhaka City, the capital of Bangladesh. The rivers have been suffering from various hazardous discharges from various points and non-point sources such as industrial effluents, municipal and solid waste. The physicochemical water quality parameters are a major concern for these rivers. In this study, water quality parameters such as pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen (DO), alkalinity, total solids (TS), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS) and chloride was compared with the standard permissible limits by conducting a series of laboratory tests. Samples collected from several points of the both rivers, Specifically, Amin Bazar, Diabari Ghat and Sadar Ghat were the location of this current study. It was observed from the findings that the Turbidity (16.99–38.7 NTU), TSS (20–100 mg/L) and chloride levels in the sample water exceeded recommended standards. The DO levels (3.0–3.7 mg/L) were considerably below the acceptable range according the standards. The overall findings showed substantial degradation of pH and TDS levels although their values were found within the permissible limits. There are a varied number of aquatic life communities on these water bodies who are heavily dependent on it and the findings indicate there are significant risks due to pollution. The study recommends the application of effluent treatment plants (ETPs) to enhance wastewater management to mitigate these issues. Furthermore, the potential of surface water from rivers and ponds as a practical replacement for groundwater warrants further investigation.