The waters of the upper Ganga canal, discharged cooling water and the machine washings of 530 MW Kasimpur coal fired thermal power plant were analysed for different parameters like colour, turbidity, pH, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids, chloride, sulphate, nitrite, nitrate, nitrate-ammonia, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand. Metals zinc, lead, cadmium, iron, chromium, copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese were also determined in upstream, down stream, discharged cooling water, machine washings, sediment, plant and fish of the canal. The concentrations of Zn, Pb, Cd, Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, Co and Mn in the upstream, downstream, cooling effluent and machine washings were found in the range 44.4-204, 1.33-26, 0.27-1.7, 49-208, 13.52-176. 11.5-79, 4.1-9, 4-8.1 and 42-68 µg/l; in the sediments 56.4-133, 1.22-28, 0.8-1.6, 9438-10595, 14.2-128, 13.6-15.0, 18.4-21, 7.3-16 and 320.7-392.2 µg/g; in the plants 21-25, 1.3-2.3, 0.05-0.08, 422-504, 3.5-11, 6.7-11.6, 3.3-7.9, 5.1-10.7 and 81-119 µg/g and in the fish 129.2-141.4, 2.1-3.82, 0.023-0.028, 234-242.1, 1.3-2, 7.8-11.3, 2.2-2.9, 2.6-3.0 and 108-114.6 ég/g on a dry weight basis. The sediments of the canal were analysed for pH, calcium carbonate, organic matter, potassium and phosphorus.
In addition, the effects of influent and effluent water on the physico-chemical properties of soil, germination of seeds and growth pattern of the plants were observed but the results were found to be insignificant.
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