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Impact evaluation of the run-of-river hydropower projects on the water quality dynamics of the Sindh River in the Northwestern Himalayas

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Abstract

As the run-of-river (RoR) hydropower projects remain understudied, we conducted this study to understand how these projects affect the hydro-chemical dynamics and water quality index (WQI) of the Sindh River in the Kashmir Himalayas. We used multivariate statistical techniques and WQI to identify the spatiotemporal dynamics of 18 physico-chemical parameters from 11 sampling stations distributed along the length of river Sindh from December 2017 to December 2019. The dataset was classified into three groups using hierarchical cluster analysis based on similarities between hydro-chemical characteristics, and the results were confirmed by discriminant analysis. Wilk’s quotient distribution further showed that ions, nutrients, free carbon dioxide, water temperature, and pH contributed to the formation of clusters. Principle component analysis revealed that the chloride (Cl−), total phosphorus (TP), ortho-phosphorus (PO4–P), nitrate-nitrogen (NO3–N), nitrite-nitrogen (NO2–N), and sulfate ion (SO42−) are significant factors that influence the water quality. Furthermore, our results suggest that diverting water for RoR operation did not significantly raise the WQI value to the point where water in the bypassed reaches could be declared unfit for drinking. Our analysis concluded that inclusive assessments are vital for framing policies on expanding RoR hydropower in the region.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article (and its supplementary information files).

Abbreviations

BIS:

Bureau of Indian Standards

BST:

Bartlett’s sphericity tests

DA:

Discriminant analysis

E-Flows:

Environmental flows

HCA:

Hierarchical cluster analysis

KMO:

Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin

PCA:

Principle component analysis

RoR:

Run-of-river

SHP:

Small hydropower plants

WHO:

World Health Organization

WQI:

Water quality index

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Acknowledgements

The research work was conducted as part of the Research project titled, “Anthropogenic impacts and their management options in different ecosystems of the Indian Himalayan Region” funded by the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS), MoEF & CC, Govt. of India is thankfully acknowledged. The authors also thank Director, Govind Ballabh Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Kosi-Katarmal, Almora-263 643, Uttarakhand, India as well as the Department of Environmental Science, the University of Kashmir for providing facilities that together made the present study possible.

Funding

This work was supported by NMHS, MoEF & CC Govt. of India under the grant number NMHS/SG/-2017/260.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, 190006, India

    Mohd Sharjeel Sofi, Aadil Hamid & Sami Ullah Bhat

  2. Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, 190006, India

    Irfan Rashid

  3. Govind Ballabh Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Kosi-Katarmal, Almora, Uttarakhand, India, 263 643

    Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal

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  1. Mohd Sharjeel Sofi
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  2. Aadil Hamid
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  5. Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Mohd Sharjeel Sofi, Sami Ullah Bhat. Formal analysis and data curation: Mohd Sharjeel Sofi, Aadil Hamid. Writing—original draft preparation: Mohd Sharjeel Sofi, Sami Ullah Bhat, Aadil Hamid. Writing—review and editing: Mohd Sharjeel Sofi, Aadil Hamid, Sami Ullah Bhat, Irfan Rashid, Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal. Funding acquisition: Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal, Sami Ullah Bhat, Irfan Rashid. Supervision: Sami Ullah Bhat, Irfan Rashid, Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal.

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Correspondence to Sami Ullah Bhat.

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Sofi, M.S., Hamid, A., Bhat, S.U. et al. Impact evaluation of the run-of-river hydropower projects on the water quality dynamics of the Sindh River in the Northwestern Himalayas. Environ Monit Assess 194, 626 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10303-5

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