Analysis of Physicochemical Parameters of Soil from Patalganga River, (Maharashtra, India)

Many rivers in India are facing threats of water and soil pollution, majorly those flowing along industrial belts. Patalganga river is an important river in Maharashtra supplying water to 40 villages in Raigad district. Many industries are situated on the left bank of the river and often the tail water of power projects, domestic sewage water, industrial effluents (untreated or partially treated) often find their way into the river. Percolation of pollutants present in the water affect the soil quality of the river bed which primarily provides nutrients to aquatic plants. In the present investigation, monthly soil samples from seven different sites were collected from January 2019 to June 2019, along the Patalganga river belt and studied for Physico - chemical parameters - temperature, pH, texture, moisture content, organic content, bulk density and water holding capacity using standard methods. The results showed fluctuating levels of some parameters which may be attributed to impact of the pollutant load along with seasonal variation.