Eco-restoration of river water quality during COVID-19 lockdown in the industrial belt of eastern India

The sudden lockdown recovers the health of the total environment particularly air and water while the country's economic growth and socio-cultural tempo of people have been completely hampered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the industries within the catchment area of river Damodar have been closed; as a result, significant changes have been reflected throughout the stretch of river Damodar. The main objective of the study is to analyze the impact of lockdown on the water quality of river Damodar. A total of 55 samples was collected from eleven different confluence sites of nallas with the main river channel during and pre-lockdown period. The relevant methods like WQI, TSI, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and t test have been applied to evaluate the physical, chemical, and biological status of river water. The result of t test indicated that there are significant differences (alpha = 0.05) of each parameter between pre and during lockdown. Water quality index (WQI) is used for analysis of drinking water quality suitability followed by BIS. The values of WQI showed very poor (S1, S2, S3, S6, S7, and S11) to unfit for drinking (S4, S5, S8, S9, and S10) of river water during pre-monsoon season. The nutrient enrichment status of the river was analyzed by Trophic State Index (TSI) method and it shows the High eutrophic condition with a heavy concentration of algal blooms in almost an entire stretch. During lockdown, nutrient supplies like TN and TP have been reduced and is designated as Low (S1, S2) to Moderate (S3 to S11) eutrophic condition of middle stretch of Damodar. This research output of river Damodar will definitely assist to policy makers for sustainable environmental management despite the dilemma between development and conservation.

Automated summary

The sudden lockdown has had a significant impact on the water quality of the Damodar River, with noticeable differences in water quality indicators between the lockdown and pre-lockdown periods. Nutrient supplies in the river have decreased during the lockdown, leading to improvements in the eutrophic condition of certain stretches.