Hydrochemistry of Snowmelt in Sudhanoti and Poonch Districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

Abstract

A study was conducted to assay the quality of snowmelt in Sudhanoti and Poonch Districts of Kashmir, Pakistan. In this area, primary source of water for drinking and agricultural use is rain, snowfall and snowmelts. Physicochemical parameters; pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH) HCO3, CO32, CI, SO42, NO2-N, NO3-N, Kjeldahl nitrogen (KN), orthophosphate (o- PO4), acid hydrolysable phosphate (t-PO4), dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, Cd2+, and Co2+ were determined. Chemical analyses of the snowmelts indicate the presence of major ions as: Ca2+ > Na+ > Mg2+ > K+ = HCO3 > SO42 > CI > NO3 > CO32. Ternary plot on elemental composition indicates Ca - Na - Mg HCO3/CO3, Ca Na - SO? and Na - Cl as the dominant hydro chemical types; while salinity hazard index sets the criterion for its agricultural utility. Higher concentration of SO?² and pH < 7 manifests the effect of industrial pollution as acid rains on hydrological cycle