Risk Probability of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Due to Leaching Effect of Distillery Effluent Used for Agricultural Purpose

Abstract

Distillery effluent is posing threat to the different components of the environment due to indiscriminate use of distillery effluent for irrigation of agricultural field, mainly affecting soil and water quality as the chemicals leaches to the groundwater table. The chemical substances transferred in soil profiles is a major environmental concern because even slow transport through the soil may eventually lead to deterioration of groundwater quality. The study reveals the physico-chemical characterisation of soil horizon of agricultural field which was regularly irrigated with distillery effluent for the observation of leaching effect of distillery effluent in soil horizons and ground water quality. The result showed that all the physico-chemical properties of soil horizons have high content of effluent irrigated soil compared to fresh water irrigated soils. It may be concluded that the higher value and indiscriminate use of distillery effluent on land affects the composition of the soil and groundwater quality due to leaching. The soil horizon showed higher value in surface soil while the values were less in lower soil horizons as compared to unaffected soil.