The use of water resources in arid lands is strongly limited by their quantity. To add to such knowledge, this study evaluates the natural water quality and its suitability for drinking, agricultural and industrial purposes in the northern Tianshan catchments (Central Asia), using chemical-physical indicators. The waters are neutral to alkaline and most of them are soft-fresh waters. The total dissolved solid (TDS) varies over two orders of magnitude. Much of the solutes and physicochemical parameters in water are under the highest desirable limits of the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking purpose and most waters are of good water quality for irrigation. The effects of local pollution are minimal in the montane and piedmont areas of these watersheds but are significant in the oases and central areas of the drainage basins. Although the headwaters of the northern Tianshan catchments represent natural background conditions (soft-fresh water in salinity and hardness) and population densities within the catchment are relatively low, the river basin is facing relatively high anthropogenic pressure on water quality in the low reaches. The main contributors to the nutrient emissions are agricultural land use and, to a lesser extent, unban settlements with a high proportion of households without connection to wastewater treatment plants. Proposals for regional water resources management are advised, i.g. the geographic data and information should be detailedly included in the assessment and monitoring procedure, a water quality model should be built, and information technology such as visualization technology and the internet should be used.
Published in | Hydrology (Volume 6, Issue 1) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.hyd.20180601.14 |
Page(s) | 32-42 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Natural Water, Water Quality, Drinking Water, Irrigation Water, Industrial Quality, Northern Tianshan Catchments
[1] | Listori JJ, World-wide Bank (1990) Environmental Health Components for Water Supply, Sanitation and Urban Projects. World-wide Bank, Washington, DC. |
[2] | Niemi GJ, Devore P, Detenbeck N, Taylor D, Lima A (1990) Overview of case studies on recovery of aquatic systems form disturbance. Environmental Management 14: 571–587. |
[3] | Tomas D, Curlin M, Maric AS (2017) Assessing the surface water status in Pannonian ecoregion by the water quality index model. Ecological Indicators 79:182-190. |
[4] | Erickson JJ, Smith CD, Goodridge A, Nelson KL (2017) Water quality effects of intermittent water supply in Arraiján, Panama. Water Research 114:338-350. |
[5] | Cicchella D, Albanese S, De Vivo B, Dinelli E, Giaccio L, Lima A, Valera P (2010) Trace elements and ions in Italian bottled mineral waters: identification of anomalous values and human health related effects. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 107 (3):336–349. |
[6] | Misaghi F, Delgosha F, Razzaghmanesh M, Myers B (2017) Introducing a water quality index for assessing water for irrigation purposes: A case study of the Ghezel Ozan River. Science of The Total Environment 589:107-116. |
[7] | Diersing N (2009) Water Quality: Frequently Asked Questions. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Key West, FL. |
[8] | Helena B, Pardo R, Vega M, Barrado E, Fernandez J (2000) Temporal evolution of groundwater composition in an alluvial aquifer (Pisuerga River, Spain) by principal component analysis. Water Research 34 (3):807–816. |
[9] | Subramani T, Elango L, Damodarasamy SR (2005) Groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and agricultural use in Chithar River Basin, Tamil Nadu, India. Environmental Geology 47 (8):1099–1110. |
[10] | Zhu B, Yang X (2007) The ion chemistry of surface and ground waters in the Taklimakan Desert of Tarim Basin, western China. Chinese Science Bulletin 52: 2123-2129. |
[11] | Zhu B, Yang X, Rioual P, Qin X, Liu Z, Xiong H, Yu J (2011) Hydrogeochemistry of three watersheds (the Erlqis, Zhungarer and Yili) in northern Xinjiang, NW China. Applied Geochemistry 26:1535–1548. |
[12] | Zhu B, Yu J, Qin X, Rioual P, Xiong H (2012) Climatic and geological factors contributing to the natural water chemistry in an arid environment from watersheds in northern Xinjiang, China. Geomorphology 153–154:102–114. |
[13] | Zhu B, Yu J, Qin X, Rioual P, Liu Z, Zhang Y, Jiang F, Mu Y, Li H, Ren X, Xiong H (2013a) The Significance of mid-latitude rivers for weathering rates and chemical fluxes: evidence from northern Xinjiang rivers. Journal of Hydrology 486:151–174. |
[14] | Zhu B, Yu J, Qin X, Rioual P, Zhang Y, Liu Z, Mu Y, Li H, Ren X, Xiong H (2013b) Identification of rock weathering and environmental control in arid catchments (northern Xinjiang) of Central Asia. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 66:277-294. |
[15] | Balasubramanian N, Sivasubramanian P, Soundranayagam J, Chandrasekar N, Gowtham B (2015) Groundwater classification and its suitability in Kadaladi, Ramanathapuram, India using GIS techniques. Environmental Earth Sciences 57:1–23. |
[16] | Zhu B, Wang Y (2016a) Statistical study to identify the key factors governing ground water recharge in the watersheds of the arid Central Asia. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 188 (1):66, doi: 10.1007/s10661-015-5075-4. |
[17] | Zhu B, Wang Y (2016b) Statistical study to identify the key factors governing ground water recharge in the watersheds of the arid Central Asia. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 188 (4):210, doi: 10.1007/s10661-016-5205-7. |
[18] | Zhu B, Yu J, Rioual P (2016c) Geochemical signature of natural water recharge in the Jungar Basin and their response to climate. Water Environment Research, 88 (1):79-86. |
[19] | Zhu B, Yu J, Rioual P, Gao Y, Zhang Y, Xiong H (2015) Climate Effects on Recharge and Evolution of Natural Water Resources in middle-latitude Watersheds Under Arid Climate. In: Ramkumar M et al. (Eds) Environmental Management of River Basin Ecosystems, Springer Earth System Sciences. Pp. 91-109. |
[20] | Zhu B, Wang X, Rioual P (2017) Multivariate Indications between environment and ground water recharge in a sedimentary drainage basin in northwestern China. Journal of Hydrology 549:92-113. |
[21] | Dinelli E, Lima A, De Vivo B, Albanese S, Cicchella D, Valera P (2010) Hydrogeochemical analysis on Italian bottled mineral waters: effects of geology. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 107 (3):317–335. |
[22] | Singh A, Mondal GC, Singh TB, Singh S, Tewary BK, Sinha A (2012) Hydrogeochemical processes and quality assessment of groundwater in Dumka and Jamtara districts, Jharkhand, India. Environmental Earth Sciences 67 (8):2175–2191. |
[23] | Oyarzun R, Jofre E, Morales P, Maturana H, Oyarzun J, Kretschmer N, Aravena R (2015) A hydrogeochemistry and isotopic approach for the assessment of surface water–groundwater dynamics in an arid basin: the Limarı´ watershed, North-Central Chile. Environmental Earth Sciences 73 (1):39–55. |
[24] | Rao YS, Reddy TV, Nayudu PT (1997) Groundwater quality in the Niva River basin, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Environmental Geology 32 (1):56–63. |
[25] | Menzel L, Burger G (2002) Climate change scenarios and runoff response in the Mulde catchment (southern Elbe, Germany). Journal of Hydrology 267:53–64. |
[26] | Roudier P, Ducharne A, Feyen L (2014) Climate change impacts on runoff in West Africa: a review. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences 18 (7):2789-2801. |
[27] | Wangerlandsson L, Van dERJ, Gordon LJ, Savenije HHG (2014) Contrasting roles of interception and transpiration in the hydrological cycle - Part 1: Simple Terrestrial Evaporation to Atmosphere Model. Earth System Dynamics 5 (1):441-469. |
[28] | Oisson T, Jakkila J, Veijalainen N, Backman L, Kaurola J (2015) Impacts of climate change on temperature, precipitation and hydrology in Finland - studies using bias corrected Regional Climate Model data. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences Discussions 12 (3):2657-2706. |
[29] | Ososkova T, Gorelkin N, Chub V (2000) Water Resources of Central Asia and Adaptation Measures for Climate Change. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 61 (1):161-166. |
[30] | Food and Agriculture Organization (2003) Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA). FAO AGLL Technical Report. State Design and Research. Uzgipromeliovodkhoz Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources; Tashkent Republic of Uzbekistan. 43 pp. |
[31] | Crosa G, Froebrich J, Nikolayenko V, Stefani F, Galli P, Calamari D (2006) Spatial and seasonal variations in the water quality of the Amu Darya River (Central Asia). Water Research 40:2237-2245. |
[32] | Bezborodov GA, Shadmanov DK, Mirhashimov RT, Yuldashev T, Qureshi AS (2010) Mulching and water quality effects on soil salinity and sodicity dynamics and cotton productivity in Central Asia. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 138 (1-2):95-102. |
[33] | Yadav SS, Rajesh K (2011) Monitoring water quality of Kosi River in Rampur District, Uttar Pradesh, India. Advances in Applied Science Research 2 (2):197–201. |
[34] | Rahman MM, Mandal BK, Chowdhury TR, Sengupta MK, Chowdhury UK, Lodh D, Chanda CR, Basu GK, Mukherjee SC, Saha KC, Chakraborti D (2003) Arsenic groundwater contamination and sufferings of people in North 24-Parganas, one of the nine arsenic affected districts of West Bengal, India. Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A: Toxic/Hazardous Substances and Environmental Engineering 38 (1):25-59. |
[35] | Yan W, Li J, Bai X (2016) Comprehensive assessment and visualized monitoring of urban drinking water quality. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems 155:26-35. |
[36] | Huang F, Wang XQ, Lou LP, Zhou ZQ, Wu JP (2010) Spatial variation and source apportionment of water pollution in Qiantang River (China) using statistical techniques. Water Research 44 (5):1562–1572. |
[37] | Moe CL, Rheingans RD (2006) Global challenges in water, sanitation and health. Journal of Water and Health 4 (Suppl 1):41–57. |
[38] | WHO (2008) Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality. World Health Organization, Geneva. |
[39] | Pawellek F, Frauenstein F, Veizer J (2002) Hydrochemistry and isotope geochemistry of the upper Danube River. Geochimica & Cosmochimica Acta 66:3839-3854. |
[40] | Dragun Z, Kapetanovic D, Raspor B, Teskeredzic E (2011) Water Quality of Medium Size Watercourse Under Baseflow Conditions: The Case Study of River Sutla in Croatia. Ambio 40 (4):391-407. |
[41] | Johnson DL, Ambrose SH, Bassett TJ, Bowen ML, Crummey DE, Isaacson JS, Johnson DN, Lamb P, Saul M, Winter-Nelson AE (1997) Meanings of environmental terms. Journal of Environmental Quality 26:581-589. |
[42] | Dragun Z, Tepic N, Krasnici N, Teskeredzic E (2016) Accumulation of metals relevant for agricultural contamination in gills of European chub (Squalius cephalus). Environmental Science & Pollution Research International 23 (16):1-14. |
[43] | NSPRC (2002) Standards for Drinking Water Quality (GB3828-2002). National Standard of People's Republic of China. |
[44] | Johnson EE (1983) Groundwater and wells. Ist Indian edition, Jain Brothers, 440 p. |
[45] | Subba Rao N, Surya Rao P, Venktram Reddy G, Nagamani M, Vidyasagar G, Satyanarayana NLVV (2012) Chemical characteristics of groundwater and assessment of groundwater quality in Varaha River Basin, Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Environ Monitoring and Assessment 184:5189–5214. |
[46] | Handa BK (1964) Modified classification procedure for rating irrigation waters. Soil Science 68 (4):264–269. |
[47] | Stigter TY, Van Ooijen SPJ, Post VEA, Appelo CAJ, Dill AMMC (1998) A hydrogeological and hydrochemical explanation of the groundwater composition under irrigated land in a Mediterranean environment, Algarve, Portugal. Journal of Hydrology 208:262-279. |
[48] | Sebilo M, Mayer B, Nicolardot B, Pinay G, Mariotti A (2013) Long-term fate of nitrate fertilizer in agricultural soils. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the united States of America 110 (45):18185. |
[49] | Castellano MJ, David MB (2014) Long-term fate of nitrate fertilizer in agricultural soils is not necessarily related to nitrate leaching from agricultural soils. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the united States of America 111 (8):E766. |
[50] | Kuzyk ZA, Macdonald RW, Granskog MA, Scharien RK, Galley RJ (2008) Sea ice, hydrological, and biological processes in the Churchill River estuary region, Hudson Bay. Estuarine Coastal & Shelf Science 77 (3):369-384. |
[51] | Shi Y, Mangal V, Gueguen C (2016) Influence of dissolved organic matter on dissolved vanadium speciation in the Churchill River estuary (Manitoba, Canada). Chemosphere 154:367-374. |
[52] | Johnes PJ, Burt TP (1991) Water quality trends in theWindrush catchment: nitrogen speciation and sediment interactions. IAHS Publ 203:349-57. |
[53] | Johnes PJ, Burt TP (1993) Nitrate in surface waters. In: Burt TP, Heathwaite AL, Trudgill ST (eds) Nitrate: processes, patterns and control. Chichester, Wiley. p. 269-320. |
[54] | Heathwaite AL, Johnes PJ (1996) Contribution of nitrogen species and phosphorus fractions to stream water quality in agricultural catchments. Hydrological Processes 10:971-83. |
[55] | Jarvie HP, Neal C, Williams RJ, Neal M, Wickham HD, Hill LK (2002) Phosphorus sources, speciation and dynamics in the lowland eutrophic River Kennet, UK. Science of the Total Environment 282:175-203. |
[56] | Jarvie HP, Neal C, Withers PJA, Wescott C, Acornley RA (2005) Nutrient hydrochemistry for a groundwater-dominated catchment: the Hampshire Avon, UK. Science of the Total Environment 344:143-58. |
[57] | Johnson AG, Glenn CR, Burnett WC, Peterson RN, Lucey PG (2008) Aerial infrared imaging reveals large nutrient‐rich groundwater inputs to the ocean. Geophysical Research Letters 35 (15):105-116. |
[58] | Peterson B, Stubler A, Wall C, Gobler C. Nitrogen-rich groundwater intrusion affects productivity, but not herbivory, of the tropical seagrass Thalassia testudinum. Aquatic Biology 15 (1):1-9. |
[59] | Stelzer R, Bartsch L (2015) Nitrate removal in deep sediments of a nitrogen‐rich river network: A test of a conceptual model. Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences 117 (G2):2027. |
[60] | Hofmann J, Rode M, Theuring P (2013) Recent developments in river water quality in a typical Mongolian river basin, the Kharaa case study. Proceedings of the IAHS-IAPSO-IASPEI Assembly, Gothenburg, Sweden. |
[61] | Hofmann J, Hurdler J, Ibisch R, Schaffer M, Borchardt D (2011) Analysis of recent nutrient emission pathways, resulting surface water quality and ecological impacts under extreme continental climate: The Kharaa River Basin (Mongolia). International Review of Hydrobiology 96 (5):484–519. |
[62] | Hartwig M, Theuring P, Rode M, Borchardt D (2012) Suspended sediments in the Kharaa River catchment (Mongolia) and its impact on hyporheic zone functions. Environmental Earth Sciences 65:1535–1546. |
[63] | Theuring P, Rode M, Behrens S, Kirchner G, Jha A (2013) Identification of fluvial sediment sources in a meso-scale catchment, Northern Mongolia. Hydrological Processes 27:845-856. |
[64] | Deng D, Duan H (2009). The problem of the population development and the characteristics of the population space distriubtion in urban regions of northern Xinjiang. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment 23 (8):53-60. |
APA Style
Bing-Qi Zhu, Yan Gao, Xiao-Jun Meng. (2018). Natural Water Quality and Its Suitability in the Northern Tianshan Catchments (Central Asia). Hydrology, 6(1), 32-42. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hyd.20180601.14
ACS Style
Bing-Qi Zhu; Yan Gao; Xiao-Jun Meng. Natural Water Quality and Its Suitability in the Northern Tianshan Catchments (Central Asia). Hydrology. 2018, 6(1), 32-42. doi: 10.11648/j.hyd.20180601.14
AMA Style
Bing-Qi Zhu, Yan Gao, Xiao-Jun Meng. Natural Water Quality and Its Suitability in the Northern Tianshan Catchments (Central Asia). Hydrology. 2018;6(1):32-42. doi: 10.11648/j.hyd.20180601.14
@article{10.11648/j.hyd.20180601.14, author = {Bing-Qi Zhu and Yan Gao and Xiao-Jun Meng}, title = {Natural Water Quality and Its Suitability in the Northern Tianshan Catchments (Central Asia)}, journal = {Hydrology}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {32-42}, doi = {10.11648/j.hyd.20180601.14}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hyd.20180601.14}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hyd.20180601.14}, abstract = {The use of water resources in arid lands is strongly limited by their quantity. To add to such knowledge, this study evaluates the natural water quality and its suitability for drinking, agricultural and industrial purposes in the northern Tianshan catchments (Central Asia), using chemical-physical indicators. The waters are neutral to alkaline and most of them are soft-fresh waters. The total dissolved solid (TDS) varies over two orders of magnitude. Much of the solutes and physicochemical parameters in water are under the highest desirable limits of the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking purpose and most waters are of good water quality for irrigation. The effects of local pollution are minimal in the montane and piedmont areas of these watersheds but are significant in the oases and central areas of the drainage basins. Although the headwaters of the northern Tianshan catchments represent natural background conditions (soft-fresh water in salinity and hardness) and population densities within the catchment are relatively low, the river basin is facing relatively high anthropogenic pressure on water quality in the low reaches. The main contributors to the nutrient emissions are agricultural land use and, to a lesser extent, unban settlements with a high proportion of households without connection to wastewater treatment plants. Proposals for regional water resources management are advised, i.g. the geographic data and information should be detailedly included in the assessment and monitoring procedure, a water quality model should be built, and information technology such as visualization technology and the internet should be used.}, year = {2018} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Natural Water Quality and Its Suitability in the Northern Tianshan Catchments (Central Asia) AU - Bing-Qi Zhu AU - Yan Gao AU - Xiao-Jun Meng Y1 - 2018/02/23 PY - 2018 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hyd.20180601.14 DO - 10.11648/j.hyd.20180601.14 T2 - Hydrology JF - Hydrology JO - Hydrology SP - 32 EP - 42 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-7617 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hyd.20180601.14 AB - The use of water resources in arid lands is strongly limited by their quantity. To add to such knowledge, this study evaluates the natural water quality and its suitability for drinking, agricultural and industrial purposes in the northern Tianshan catchments (Central Asia), using chemical-physical indicators. The waters are neutral to alkaline and most of them are soft-fresh waters. The total dissolved solid (TDS) varies over two orders of magnitude. Much of the solutes and physicochemical parameters in water are under the highest desirable limits of the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking purpose and most waters are of good water quality for irrigation. The effects of local pollution are minimal in the montane and piedmont areas of these watersheds but are significant in the oases and central areas of the drainage basins. Although the headwaters of the northern Tianshan catchments represent natural background conditions (soft-fresh water in salinity and hardness) and population densities within the catchment are relatively low, the river basin is facing relatively high anthropogenic pressure on water quality in the low reaches. The main contributors to the nutrient emissions are agricultural land use and, to a lesser extent, unban settlements with a high proportion of households without connection to wastewater treatment plants. Proposals for regional water resources management are advised, i.g. the geographic data and information should be detailedly included in the assessment and monitoring procedure, a water quality model should be built, and information technology such as visualization technology and the internet should be used. VL - 6 IS - 1 ER -