The Possible Causes of Variation in Water Quality of Mahi River, Gujarat, India

The damming of the Mahi has retarded the natural cleansing processes of the river, making it incapable of flushing away effluents. This problem is further compounded by the large-scale tidal ingress in the Mahi, which impedes the already sluggish flow of the water, thereby concentrating the pollutants in the downstream portion. This is critical, since nearly half of Baroda city's drinking water is obtained from French-wells dug in the Mahi river bed at Vasad which is under the influence of the tidal ingress.