Effect of SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) on physicochemical parameters of Gomti River, Uttar Pradesh, India: Temporal variations and correlation

The Covid-19 epidemic caused by Coronavirus emerged as a 'Pandemic' for the whole world. This virus denoted as SARS-CoV-2, causes infections resulting in severe acute respiratory syndrome. The viral pandemic completely disrupted the worldwide economy, human health, social behaviours and restricted commercial and industrial activities due to complete and partial lockdowns around the world. In the present study, we analyse the comparative effects of SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) on rejuvenation of River Gomti in the 870 km long stretch from Shahjahanpur to Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, India. The water quality data have been collected for 3 phases: pre-Covid, lockdown and post-lockdown during January 2019 to April 2021. The data of physicochemical parameters include pH, temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3-N), Boron (B), Calcium (Ca+2), Sodium (Na+1) and Magnesium (Mg+2) ions. The analyses of variance (ANOVA) and mean difference were determined by Tukey's test (P) after discovering normality with Shapiro-Wilk's test. Levene's test exhibits the group's homogeneity of variance. Pearson's correlation has determined the association among different variables. The results obtained revealed that despite the implementation of the lockdown, the water quality of the river did not witness any notable improvement; instead, it continued to deteriorate. While certain locations experienced a moderate improvement in dissolved oxygen levels during the lockdown, attributed to the closure of industrial effluents, the biochemical oxygen demand remained high. This is largely due to the discharge of untreated or partially treated wastewater into the river. Finally, for future perspective, the paper recommended the need to improve and strengthen the preparation, monitoring, and implementation of policies regarding safe treatment, disposal and management of wastewater during any crisis.