CHAPTER 2

STUDY AREA

2.1. Aims and Objectives of the present study

The present study was undertaken with the aim of determining the quality of
shallow groundwater of various sources in a part of Guwahati city o f Kamrup district,
Assam. The specific objectives o f the study were:

i) To assess the quality o f the groundwater in the shallow aquifer regime with
respect to important physico-chemical parameters to evaluate the suitability
for domestic uses,
ii) To study the extent of variation o f the constituents o f the groundwater at the
peak (wet) period and the lean (dry) period during a year,
iii) To identify and delineate the hydrochemical zones o f the study area,
iv) To determine the chemical classification of the groundwater of the study
area, and
v) To estimate some selected trace elements in the groundwater.

2.2. Introduction
The State o f Assam is one of the most beautiful states of India. Its natural view is
scenically decorated with different colours of nature. The enchanting beauty and green
ambience have made the state unique. A number o f exotic flora and fauna has flourished
all around Guwahati especially in its hilly terrains and the water bodies like Deepor
beel, Sola beel, Silsako beel, etc. Its inhabitants are multi-cultural bringing in a
thoroughly cosmopolitan life-style. Guwahati, situated on the southern bank o f the river
Brahmaputra, is often considered as the gateway to the North- East Region (NER) o f the
country and is the largest city within the region. Guwahati is the most beautiful land of
eternal blue hills and beautiful rivers. It is one o f the most rapidly growing cities in
India. Guwahati's myths and history extend back to several thousands of years.
Although the specific time o f the city's origin is unknown, the epics, puranas and others,
refer to it as one of the ancient cities in Asia and was the capital to many ancient

23
kingdoms. It was the capital of the mythological kings, Naraka and Bhagadatta (refered
to in the Mahabharata). In history, Guwahati was identified as 'Pragjyotispura' meaning
the 'light of the E a s t T h e present name Guwahati is apparently derived from 'Guwai'
and Hatt' that mean betel nut market. There are several hills of different sizes and
shapes. The hills in the northern areas (Nilachal or Kamakhya Hill in the north-west,
Chitrasala or Kharghuli Hill in the north) close to the bank of Brahmaputra, south-
central areas (Narakasur Hill, Kalapahar and Fatasil Hill) and eastern areas (Narengi,
Hengerabari, etc) have in fact guided Guwahati's development in three elongated
corridors limiting to the plain areas. Many of these hills such as the Nilachal,
Chitrachal, Narakasur, etc. are famous for their legendary, religious and historic
importance.

Guwahati is the headquarters of Kamrup district and Dispur, the capital of Assam is
in the heart of this city. It is a principal center o f socio-culture, political, industrial, trade
and commerce of the entire region. Guwahati became a municipal town in the year 1865
and it becomes the first city in North East India when Municipal Corporation was
established in 1974.

2 3 . Location
The study area, a part of Guwahati city, is situated in the Brahmaputra valley, Assam
in the northeastern part of India (Fig.2.1). The area under investigation falls on the
Survey of India Toposheet no 78 N ln and 78 n/ i6 in the scale o f 1:50, 000. The area
covers about 200 sq km bounded by latitudes 26° 5' 00" N and 26° 12' 00" N, and
longitudes 90° 40' 00" E and 91° 51' 00" E. The city is comprised of lowlands
surrounded by isolated hill ranges on the southern (Khasi and Jaintia of Meghalaya) and
eastern sides (Boga Gosai Parbat, an extension of the Khasi Hills). The mighty
Brahmaputra River flows along the northern periphery o f the study area. The western
side of the city is bounded by another low laying plain area known as Jalukbari-Azara
plains. During the past few decades, it has experienced a rapid expansion and also sharp
rise in population. Today, the city extends across the LGB International Airport in the
west to Narengi in the east for almost 45 kilometres and between the southern bank of
the Brahmaputra river and the foothills of the Shillong plateau for around 15 kilometres.
Moreover, the city is also getting gradually expanded to the northern bank of

24
Brahmaputra. Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), the city's local government
covers an area o f 216 km2, while Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority
(GMDA), the planning and development authority, covers an area of 340 km2.

2.4.Climate and Rainfall

Climate o f a region is the total change o f average weather conditions within a long
duration of time. It depends upon several factors like atmospheric temperature and
pressure, humidity, rainfall, altitude, air circulation etc. Though India’s is primarily a
monsoon climate, it has different types of climate in its different parts. North East India
falls in sub-tropical belt. Southwest Asiatic Monsoon current passes through the region
during the monsoon months. The Brahmaputra with its tributaries plays an important
role in determining the climate of Assam. Assam is graced by abundant rainfall. Rainfall
occurs in spells having a wide intensity from drizzle to heavy precipitation over a period
ranging from a few days to several days due to the effect o f South-West Monsoon. The
frequent rain spells usually serve to reduce the mercury level during the hot summer
days and thereby giving some respite to denizens from scorching heat. The Monsoon
rains attained its peak normally during the months of June and July. Guwahati
experiences sub-tropical climate making it uncomfortably humid especially during the
rainy seasons. Summer arrives in the middle of May accompanied by high humidity and
rainfall. The temperature rises gradually with sunshine and reaches a maximum o f 35 to
38 degrees Celsius. Winter sets in from around the end o f the month of November and
lasts till the month of February. The temperature during winter drops to a minimum o f 8
to 10 degrees Celsius, the nights and early mornings are foggy covering the distant
horizon, and rain is scanty. From March to April temperature becomes moderate and
weather becomes dry with frequent dust storms which carry dry sand from the bank of
the river Brahmaputra to cover the whole city at times. The wind direction is from the
northeast to the southwest and from southwest to the northeast during the winter and
summer respectively. The city enjoys a subtropical humid climate with an average
rainfall of 1711 mm and about 90% of it occurs between April to September. During
this time, flashflood and water logging in many areas o f the city is quite common. The
monthly rainfall data for the last six years are given in Table 2.1 (source, Indian
Meteorological Department, Botjhar station).

25
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F i g . 2 .1 ( b ) . L o c a t i o n m a p o f t h e s t u d y a r e a w i t h g r o u n d w a t e r s a m p l e p o i n t .
Table 2.1. Monthly Total Rainfall in Guwahati (in mm)
Year 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

January 13.9 6.2 10.7 16.6 0.0 0.0

February 4.5 37.7 8.4 3.9 11.0 96.1

March 85.8 120.2 10.9 150.7 18.1 29.8

April 276.3 249.3 547.5 134.2 180.5 286.6

May 214.7 166.5 126.0 284.5 290.3 96.2

June 396.2 550.8 205.1 104.6 153.9 —

July 295.0 333.9 399.6 175.1 247.2

August 182.3 231.1 65.2 803.0 162.7

September 113.6 158.1 89.8 82.1 88.0 —

October 31.7 182.8 354.4 117.2 119.9 —

November 54.5 21.4 3.7 1.4 15.9

December 0.0 12.6 0.6 0.0 6.7 -

28
2.5. Landuse Pattern
Rapid urbanization has resulted due to high population growth coupled with
unplanned developmental activities. In India Guwahati city is one of the typical cases of
haphazard and unplanned urbanization. Prior tol957 the landuse pattern of the city was
not observed properly. But from the year 1957 to 1976, a change in land use pattern has
been observed. The city is bounded by the river Brahmaputra on the north and a series
of hills along the remaining periphery, except for a portion in the west where a natural
wetland, the Deepar Beel is situated. Inside this natural boundary, the terrain consists of
a bowl shaped valley which has a number of hills and a few beels (natural wetlands)
interspersed randomly. Sola beel, Silsako beel and Deepar beel are the three notable
wetlands.
Early settlement took place in the Guwahati plains along the river Brahmaputra and
with time to keep pace with the growing population, gradually extended upto the
railway line towards north and beyond during the fifties and sixties resulting in new
settlements in low lying areas like Sarania, Gandhibasti, Lachit Nagar, Santipur. etc
During the same period Maligaon and Jalukbari area were also developed to the west of
the Guwahati plain through the Kamakhya corridor, due to eastablishment of N.E.F
Railway Headquarters at Maligaon and the Gauhati University at Jalukbari During the
seventies, due to shift of capital from Shillong, the city further expanded into the Beltola
plain through the narrow corridor like Fatasil, Dispur and Noonmati, resulting m
developments of settlements such as Khanapara, Basistha, Kahilipara, Kalapahar,
Narengi, etc. However, further expansion of the city beyond the Beltola plain in the east
and south is restricted due to the existence of Khasi and Jaintia Hills ranges
The landuse pattern of Guwahati is in general controlled by natural physical features
such as hills, the river Brahmaputra and other water bodies, forests and marshy areas,
beels, etc. On the basis of satellite data (Assam Remote Sensing Application Centre)
(Table 2.2), it was observed that the residential area increased from 54.55 sq km in 1968
to 96.45 sq km in 1990. On the other hand from 1967 -1968 to 1990, continuous
conversion of land from non-urban to urban use, resulted in gradual decrease in forest
cover and agricultural land. The area covered by forest and agricultural land existed as
48.07 sq km and 74.25 sq km in 1968, but these were reduced to 33.37 sq km and 25 67
sq km in 1990.

29
 Guwahati Metropolitan area (2001) covers an area o f about 262 sq. km. o f which
only 61.8% land is developable (Sharma, 2005). The unusable land mainly constitutes
hills, scrubland, water bodies and pockets o f low-lying areas. The average Land Use
Pattern for Guwahati as per the Town and Country Planning Department o f the State in
2001 is given in Table 2.3. This Department has prepared a Master Plan for the city,
which has shown the projected overall land use breakup o f 2025 (Table 2.4).
It is understood that the Master Plan is under further revision. The overall land use
break up for the new proposed Guwahati Metropolitan Authority measuring 326 sq km
is given in Table 2.5.

2.6. Geomorphology
The geological disposition is reflected in the landscape of the study area with low
lying Precambrian residual hills dotting all around interspersed with elongated low lying
plains. Broadly, two geomorphic units viz. the denudo-structural hills (residual hills),
and plains with alluvial and valley fill deposites dotted with marshy lands including the
static water bodies (Water bodies with paleochannels) can be identified from satellite
images and topomaps. The major hills o f the area are Sarania hill (193 m), Nabagraha
hill (217 m), Nilachal hill (193 m), Chunchali hill (293 m), Tetelia hill (221 m),
Khanapara hill (303 m), Narengi hill (168 m) and Chandrapur hill (205 m). A unique
feature of the landscape of Guwahati is the presence of numerous partially silted water
bodies locally known as beel, the largest of which is the Deepar Beel presently covering
about 5.7 Sq. km in the western fringe o f the city. Most of the earlier water bodies,
however, have been converted into built up land during the last couple o f decades. Apart
from the Brahmaputra, two other rivers, viz., the Basistha and Bharalu comprise the
main drainage within the city.

2.7. Geology
Situated on the bank of river Brahmaputra at an elevation o f about 55 meters above
mean sea level, Guwahati is endowed with two geological units, viz., Precambrian
crystalline rocks and Quaternary sediments (Sinha, 1985). The Precambrian terrain
which is an extension of the Shillong plateau is characterized by the ‘Gneissic Complex’
composed o f granite gneiss, biotite schists and gneiss and quartzite. The Precambrian

30
rocks form the basement of overlying Quaternary sediments and also outcrop as
inselbergs in the form of residual hills scattered in and around the city. The rocks are
well foliated along NE - SW and E -W trends with moderate to steep northerly and
southerly dips (Sinha, 1985). The major rock units of the area are granite gneiss, grey
porphyritic granite, pink granite and fine grained granite. Numerous bands and layers o f
meta-sedimentary rocks, metamorphosed to amphibolite and granulite facies condition,
such as hornblende biotite schist, biotite sillimanite schist, pyroxene granulite,
feldspathic quartzite are found within granite gneiss. Outcrops of granite gneiss are
present at Fatasil Ambari, Dispur Kacharibasti, Nabagraha, Chunsali and Sarania hill.
Pink granite gneiss is seen from Kharghuli to Chunsali parallel to the Brahmaputra
River (Maswood, 1981).
In the plain areas o f the city the Precambrian gneisses and schists form the basement
over which a variable thickness o f quaternary sediments composed o f unconsolidated
sand, silt and clay are deposited. The quaternary alluvial and valley fill sediments are
laid on an uneven eroded basement o f the Precambrian rocks and hence the thickness of
the Quaternary sediments is highly variable. The total thickness of the overburden varies
from 10 tol80 m (Pathak, 1998). A large portion of the city stands on valley fill deposits
consisting mainly of angular fragments, sand, gravel, pebbles, silt and clay deposited
from surrounding hills carried by rain water, streams and rivers. Thin layers o f residual
clays, which are the weathered product o f feldspar, are found intertwined with the
alluvium at places. The soil of Guwahati can be classified as red soil, alluvial soil and
marshy soil. Red soils are weathered products o f metamorphic rocks and confined to the
hills and foot hill regions only.
Sub-surface investigation in and around Guwahati has been carried out since 1975 by
exploratory cum production drilling by various organizations. To study sub surface
character and disposition o f formations a NNW-SSE cross-section AA/ (Fig. 2.2),
extending from the Brahmaputra River in the north to the Shillong Plateau in the south,
cross-section BB; (Fig. 2.3) from Fatasil to New Guwahati and a E-W cross-section CC/
(Fig. 2.4) from Pactum Boragaon to Khanapara have been prepared on the basis of
lithological lo p (collected from Directorate o f Geology and Mining, Government of
Assam) of a few representative bore holes available in the study area.

31
Table 2.2. Landuse pattern of Guwahati city (1967-1968 and 1990)
1968 1990
Landuse Category
(sq km) (sq km)
Built up land
Residential Dense 10.95 32.93
Medium 24.24 25.02
Low 18.92 38.50
Industrial Heavy 1.32 1.32
Medium 0.15 0.20
Low 0.50 0.37
Commercial 6.67 7.02
Transportation Roads *186.50 *218.00
Railways 6.82 6.82
Airport 2.89 2.89
Public and Semi-Public
Educational Institutes 5.05 5.72
Cantonment/Army camp 3.62 5.10
Hospitals 0.65 0.65
Others 0.40 0.85
Recreational Stadium 0.05 0.17
Play ground 0.35 0.35
Park/Garden 1.32 0.90
Mixed Built up i
Land - 1.32 0.90
Agricultural - 74.25 25.67
Agriculture 0.50 -
Forests
Open Mixed 13.67 23.22
Dense Mixed 34.40 10.15
Waste Land
Water logged 0.40
Swampy 7.25 6.35
Scrub land 11.15 14.70
Bare earth 0.17
Water bodies
River 83.25 84.87
Lake 3.72 9.27
• Length in km o f blaektopped roads only.

32
 Table 2.3. Land use pattern for Guwahati in 2001

Land Use Percentage

Residential 25.10
Commercial 2.50
Industry 5.20
Special category Government 6.20
Recreational and Parks 5.40
Public and Semi - Public 9.40
Transport 12.90
Green Belt 15.40
Water bodies, hills 17.70
Total 100.00

Table 2.4. Proposed Landuse pattern for Guwahati in 2025

LandUse Percentage
Residential 27.24
Commercial 5.85
Public/semi public 14.15
Industries 5.85
Area under Spl. Govt. Use 4.83
Transportation 4.05
Recreation 15.52
Hills and Water bodies 22.49
Total 100.00

33
Table 2.5. Proposed Landuse pattern for the proposed Guwahati Metropolitan Authority
(total area 326 sq km) in 2025

1 Residential 8,178 30.43 9,892.58 30.15

2 Retail Commercial 360 1.34 447.15 1.36

3 Wholesale Commercial 81 0,3 417 1.27

4 Industrial 565 2.1 965 2.94

5 Public and Semipublic 2,892 10.76 3227.55 9.84

6 Transportation 2,853 10.61 3,407 10.38

7 Recreation and open space 4,222 15.71 5298.45 16.15

8 Eco sensitive zone 7,112 26.46 7,788 23.74

9 Composite use zone-I 549 2.04 549.24 1.67

10 Composite use zone-II 273 1.02 813.94 2.48

Total 26,878 100.00 32, 807 100.00

34
 The section AA/ (Fig. 2.2) connects the borehole located at New field, Rupnagar,
Christian basti, Dispur and Khanapara. The New field borehole is characterized by a bed
o f silty, fine to medium grained, brown to grey colour sand formation within the depth
range of 9.75 to 46.02 m. Below this sand bed, a sequence of medium to very coarse
grained sand and clay with gravels having thickness o f about 46 m is met till the granitic
basement at 92.50 m. The granitic basement is encountered only at 40 m depth at
Khanapara. The formation mainly consists of clay mixed with sand and gravels and it is
observed that grain size of the quaternary formations decreases to the north i. e., layers
of clay, silt and fine sand become predominant towards the Brahmaputra River.
Secondly, there is a vertical variation of thickness o f the aquifers and are inconsistent in
their aerial extent. The above findings indicate a gradual increase in the depth of
basement with consequent increase in unconsolidated sediments from the base of the
hills to the river Brahamputra in the north. The section BB7 (Fig.2.3) connects the
boreholes located at Fatasil (Harizon colony), Newfield, Chandmari (ART),
Bamunimaidam (SEBA) and New Guwahati (Axom Jatiya Vidyalaya). The borehole
drilled at Fatasil has encountered the basement at 107.28 m (52.72 m below mean sea
level). In the other boreholes drilled at New field, Chandmari and Bamunimaidam, the
hard rock basement has been encountered at 92.00 m (35 mbmsl), 74.11 m (15.33
mbmsl) and 70.50 m (15.27 mbmsl) respectively. On the other hand, the borehole
drilled at New Guwahati area, it is encountered at 33.55 m (27.62 m above the mean sea
level). From the section, it is observed that the granular formation mixed with clay and
little sand occurs at variable depths in different boreholes. The thickness of the
formation is also found to be variable at different boreholes. It is found at 30.48 m at
Fatasil, 23 m at New Field, 4.57 m at Chandmari and 19 m at Bamunimaidam. But it is
observed that this granular formation is altogether missing at New Guwahati borehole.
In the above-mentioned boreholes the granular formation overlies the granitic basement,
and is characterized by the occurrence of alternate of sand, clay, silty clay of various
colours and grades and which in turn are finally capped at the top by reddish brown to
brownish clay layers. The cross section CC7 (Fig 2.4) represents the sub-surface
lithological disposition in the southern part of the study area.

35
 N E W P1E L D RUPNAG AR C H R IS T IA N D IS P U R K H ANAPARA

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F ig . 2 .2 . N N W -S S E l i t h o l o g i c a l c r o s s s e c t i o n ( A A ;) t h r o u g h t h e a l l u v i a l p l a i n o f t h e s t u d y a r e a a n d t h e d i r e c t i o n o f t h e g r o u n d w a t e r f l o w .
N

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Fig. 2,3. Geological cross section (BB') in EW along Fatasil -New field - Bamunimaidan- New Guwahati.
N

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Fig. 2.4. Geological cross section (CC)along Pachim Boragaon-Saokuchi-Khanapara.

This section connects the borehole of Pachim Boragaon, Saukuchi and Khanapara area
that lies in E-W alignment (Fig. 2.4). The Khanapara borehole at Veterinary College
Boys’ Hostel, encounters two alternating granular layers, which vary from 4 m to 9.40
m in thickness down to the the drilling depth o f 37.7 m (30.02 m above mean sea level)
where it encounters the granitic basement. There are five granular sand layers with
intervening clay at the borehole drilled at Saukuchi, having thickness o f 5.49 m to 27.23
m at various depths down to the drilling depth o f 132.87 m (70.87 m below mean sea
level), just above the granitic basement. The Pachim Boragaon borehole drilled in the
southwestern part o f the study area encounters five granular layers within the drilling
depth of 220.40 m (163.4 mbmsl). From the borehole data, it is observed that the
thickness of individual granular horizons is higher at Pachim Boragaon (67.1 m), while
at Saukuchi borehole, although having numerous granular layers, the thickness of
individual layers is somewhat less than Pachim Boragaon. Between Khanapara and
Saukuchi borehole, it is observed that there is abrupt lateral variation of lithological
characters particularly in the greater depth

2.8. Hydrogeological condition

In the area occupied by granitic rocks, groundwater occurs in intergranular pore

spaces in the weathered residuum and along fractures, joints, and fissures in the
unweathered fresh rocks under water table conditions. The weathering o f granite rocks
give rise to reddish brown soil with fragments o f quartz. This weathered residue extends
down to 8-10 m and with its rolling topography, and moderate to gentle slope, offers
better scope for rainfall infiltration, a factor favorable for groundwater storage
(Talukdar,, 1971). Open wells in these areas are the main source of water supplies. The
yield potential of these wells depends on depth of wells and permeability of the
weathered zones. In the valley region, silts, sands, and gravels form the principal
aquifers. Shallow aquifer zones where groundwater occurs under water table and semi
confined condition, are mostly tapped by open wells and shallow tube wells fitted with
hand pumps. Water table can be found in the open wells at a depth o f 0.72 m to 17.25 m
below the ground level (bgl) in the dry season and 0.34 to 12.98 mbgl in the wet season.

The thickness of aquifers comprising unconsolidated sediments are variable and it

has been observed that the thickness increases gradually from the base o f the hills and it

39
is generally more towards west than the eastern part o f the area. The variability o f the
overlying unconsolidated sediments which governs the thickness of aquifer can be
attributed to the rugged and uneven nature of the rocks besides depths o f basement
which also increases gradually away from the hills The accurate definition o f the limits
and types of aquifers in the area is not simple because of the heterogeneity o f the
sedimentary sequence and the different criteria used in the lithological description in the
well records. For the above reasons, correlation is difficult, and an overall aspect of the
sediments has been taken into consideration rather than the individual beds. The section
A A 1 (Fig.2.2) indicates a gradual increase in the depth o f basement with consequent
increase in unconsolidated sediments from the base o f the hills (Khanapara) in the south
towards the river Brahmaputra in the north.

The rainfall is the main mode o f recharge for the entire area which is evidenced by
direct rise o f water table in response to precipitation. Generally the factors governing
groundwater recharge from precipitation are the topography, nature of surficial
formation (soil cover) and rock units exposed and intensity o f rainfall in the area. In the
areas, covered by unconsolidated sediments, part of the rainfall is absorbed by the soil
cover to meet its deficiency and after saturation, the water infiltrates down to
groundwater storage. Most o f the surface runoff are accumulated initially in the beels,
marches, and other surface depressions and remain there for certain period of time and
eventually used up as partly or wholly by evaporation and infiltrates to the groundwater
storage. There are two modes of groundwater discharge- natural and artificial discharge.
In so far as the study is concerned, the most o f the natural discharge of groundwater
goes to the Brahmaputra river through subsurface flow while the artificial discharge
groundwater is through extraction by means o f open wells, shallow tube wells with hand
pump and deep tube wells which are drawn mainly for domestic and residential purpose.

2.9. Natural Drainage Channel

The river Brahmaputra flows along the northern boundary o f the city area of
Guwahati. Besides two small tributaries (rivulates) the Bharalu and the Basistha,
originating from the southern hill range o f Khasi-Jaintia hills o f Meghalaya, drain
through the major part of the city area. These are the natural drainage channels for
Guwahati Metropolitan Area. The Bharalu channel has its outfall in Brahmaputra and

40
the Basistha Channel flows to Deeper Beel through Mora Bharalu channel. The vast
low-lying areas situated on the South-West portion of the Metropolitan area called the
Deepar Beel receives discharge from the major part o f Metropolitan area and ultimately
discharges into the Brahmaputra river through the Khana river. There is another stream
named Bonda Jan in the east o f the city connecting Silsakoo Beel with the river
Brahmaputra. On the eastern-most side, the low-lying area namely Silsako Beel also
receives considerable drainage and ultimately discharges into the river Brahmaputra.
The upstream portion o f the river Bharalu which is called Bahini meets a major drain
carrying storm water runoff from the Guwahati Refinery and domestic wastewater from
a large area in the eastern part o f the city. Considering the topographical features, the
whole GMDA area is divided into 6 (six) numbers of drainage basins which ultimately
drains into the river Brahmaputra either directly or through various drainage channels
and reservoirs. These are (1) Silkaso Basin, (2) Bharalu Basin, (3) Foreshore Basin, (4)
Deepar Basin, (5) Kalmoni Basin, and (6) North Guwahati Basin. The Bharalu river,
being the most flood prone and the focal point o f the entire Guwahati drainage system,
has a catchment area o f 42 sq km. The unplanned developments have blocked the
natural drainage pattern in this basin. The basin is almost flat with several pockets of
low-lying areas. During heavy rains, there is a back flow o f water from the Brahmaputra
through the Bharalu Channel carrying water logging in many parts of the city area.
Both the natural and artificial drains are not adequate or capable o f carrying the storm
water due to the rise in their bed and narrowness. There is a lack o f maintenance of
drainage channels, low lying areas (beels) and drains. Due to heavy siltation and
dumping of garbage, the capacity o f drains to discharge the storm water to main arteries
and storm water reservoirs have been reduced to a great extent. Cutting o f hill slopes for
filling up the low lying areas and large scale deforestation are responsible for sheet
wash, the blockage o f channels, destruction of top soil and high rate o f soil erosion on
the exposed hill slopes, which increases the amount of surface flow as well as
suspended materials load and mud flow. Illegal occupation and construction of
buildings and roads over the drains are also responsible for the bottlenecking the
drainage. Huge runoff from the Refinery flowing into the Bharalu, creates additional
problems in the city, which has faced an acute problem o f water logging in the low-
lying residential and commercial areas. During the monsoon months, the natural drains

41
are found to be inadequate to cany the storm water and surface runoff and as a result,
frequent flooding is observed in many parts o f the city.

2.10. Population
Guwahati being the largest city of northeast India, it has become the regional hub of
education, business, commerce, culture and politics. During the last few years, the rate
of urbanization of the city has become alarming with very rapid increase in population.
Despite the absence o f adequate infrastructure, a large number of people have been
continuously migrating to the city in search of employment and business and have
established residence in the city. The population of Guwahati was 8,394 in 1891, which
crossed the one-lakh limit in 1961. The population rose to 809,895 in 2001 in the
Guwahati Municipal Corporation Area (GMCA). Population growth in Guwahati from
1921 to 2001 is presented in Table 2.6 for both GMCA and Guwahati Metropolitan
Development Authority (TCPO 1987, Census 1991 and 2001).
It is to be noted that besides the population housed in the city, there is a huge
floating population (-10%), which comes to Guwahati every day for various activities.

2.11. Communication
Guwahati is facilitated by all types o f transportation systems namely road, railway,
air and water, o f which the road and railway network is playing the most important role.
The city is well connected with the rest o f the country by road, rail, and air. The national
highway, NH 37, passes through the city along the southern bank of the river
Brahmaputra. Public transport system o f the city, based on a large fleet o f city buses is
considered adequate and is managed by ASTC (Assam State Transport Corporation)
and private operators. Autorickshawa, trekkers and other light vehicles supplement the
city’s transport network connecting all the nooks and comers. An inter state bus
terminus has recently come up in the city connecting Guwahati with various
neighbouring states.
Guwahati's airport, known as Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, is
situated at Boijhar is a modem airport. Air connectivity has improved considerably in
the last couple o f years and all major domestic airlines have daily flights to and from all
metros across India. The city also finds itself in the huge railway network of the country

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Table 2.6. Growth of population in Guwahati: 1921 to 2001

Year GMCA GMDA

1921 16,480

1931 21,797

1941 29,594

1951 43,615 97,389

1961 100,707 199,482

1971 123,783 293,219

1981* 268,945 435,280

1991 584,342 646,169

2001 809,895 890,773

*No Census was conducted in 1981. The 1981 population figures have been
extrapolated on the basis of the 1971-1991 average growth rates.

43
with three railway stations serving it, the major station is Guwahati Junction and two
other stations at Kamakhya in the west and New Guwahati in the east. The city is
connected to the national capital of Delhi by daily Rajdhani Express and similarly, it is
connected to all other metros through daily, biweekly and other trains.

2.12. Industry
Guwahati has a great potentiality in industrial development and is the principal centre
for industrial activities of the entire North Eastern region. In old Guwahati, no industry
was there except for a few printing presses, an ice factory and a few flour mills. In the
early sixties of the last century, a few major industries like Guwahati Refinery, Assam
Carbon Products, India Carbon, and Oil India’s pumping station, etc. were established
in the northeastern part of the city and just beyond. Stone quarrying has started in areas
like Satgaon, Punjabari and Pamohi. As there is no separate industrial area except the
only industrial estate in Bamunimaidan, unplanned growth o f some small scale
industries like automobile repairing, drinking water bottling plant, poultry farm, etc.
were established haphazardly. Recently, new industries have been concentrated in the
south and south-west part o f the city along the National Highway by pass and also in the
north bank. Many warehouses for tea and other stuff have also come up in different
localities. On the western periphery of the city, a few medium scale industries have been
established. According to the Govt of India’s Industrial census (1973-74), there were
351 registered small scale industrial units in Guwahati and this figure became 669 in
1981 out of which 19.73 % are metal products, 17.34 % chemicals, 15.40 % paper and
printing products, 11.5 % repair and servicing, 9.72 % wood products, 6.58 % in food
products and the rest belonging to miscellaneous categories.

2.13. Water supply

Due to exponential growth of population in the premier city o f north east, enormous
pressure on land and water has been exerted over a period o f last few decades. The
water available both in surface and sub-surface strata does not match with the demand
in terms of quantity and quality. In Guwahati, the main source o f drinking water is
groundwater followed by water supplied by various agencies. The city is served by
piped water supply in some specific areas which is not sufficient to meet the

44
requirement o f the people. The different organizations which supply water to the
different parts of the city are Guwahati municipal Corporation (GMC), Public Health
Engineering (PHE) Department (Govt, o f Assam), Urban Water Supply and Sewarage
Board (UWSSB), NF Railway and Guwahati Refinery. With the increasing population
o f file city, acute shortage o f water in many parts o f the city, specially in newly
developed areas, has arisen and people have to depend primarily on groundwater
resources. It is found that 60 % of the households in the city have adequate water for
domestic use whereas 40 % has inadequate water supply (Kalita, 2005). Among the
40%, around 20 % faces the problem o f inadequacy o f water due to drying up of
sources, 13.2 % faces erratic supply, 3.1 % not supplied by any agency and 3.7 % due to
other problems like deterirotion o f water supply. One survey (Kalita, 2005) has revealed
that total quantity o f water produced and distributed by GMC, PHE and UWSSB is
about 83.5 MLD (Million Liters per Day) out o f which 79.00 MLD is produced at
different treatment plants and 4.50 MLD is supplemented by water from deep tube wells
and shallow hand pumps installed by GMC. The three water supply schemes (1)
Panbazar, (2) Satpukhuri and (3) Kamakhya are not sufficient to satisfy the demand of
rapidly growing urban centre. 59% households use groundwater extracted through
different structures such as dug wells, shallow tube wells, deep tube wells, etc. installed
by themeselves, 25% use piped water supply through various agencies, 11% use both
the sources such as groundwater and supply water, 3% use both surface and
groundwater and 2% use groundwater and rain water (Kalita, 2005). The average depth
of groundwater structure varies from < 20 m to > 80 m depth. 30 % of the households
use groundwater from < 20 m, 37% households use groundwater from the depth range
of 20 to 40 m, 18 % from 40 to 60 m, 9 % from 60 to 80 m and 6 % from 80 m or more.

2.14. Literature Review

Unplanned development and insignificant sewage disposal, loss o f stormwater

drainage, shrinking wetlands, and the respository o f flash flood occurring during the
rainy season, groundwater depletion and its contamination from pollutants are the
examples of environmental degradation o f Guwahati city. These problems have not
received adequate scientific attention till recently. The highly degraded water quality of
the Bharalu River, one o f the main drainage channels o f the city, has been studied

45
extensively. Lai and Bhattercharyya (1989) studied the pollution load of the Bharalu
River and found that the river was not in good health. The surface water quality o f
greater Guwahati has also been studied with respect to trace metals and has been found
to be severely contaminated (Kakati and Bhattercharyya, 1990). Water pollution o f
Guwahati city was studied by Prakash et al. (1992) and undesirably high concentration
o f iron m s found in the water. Sarma (1994) studied the quality of a few entrapped
water sources in and around Guwahati. Groundwater quality near the river Bharalu and
surface water-groundwater interaction along the polluted stretch o f the Bharalu River
(Borah et al.s 2001) indicated gradual deterioration of groundwater qualify near the
drainage channel o f the Bharalu. Goswami and Goswami (1996) estimated the
groundwater potentiality in and around Guwahati using remote sensing technique.
Kalita and Goswami (2003a, 2003b) discussed the pattern o f drinking water availability
and use in urban planning and management in Guwahati city. Barman (2002) and Sarma
et al. (2001) studied the water quality of the rural areas o f Nalbari and Goalpara districts
respectively. Sharma (2005) studied the pattern and problem o f road transport of
Guwahati city. Severe contamination o f fluoride in groundwater of Karbi Anglong and
Nagaon districts o f Assam and its manifestation in the form of fluorosis have been
reported recently (Sushella, 2001; Chakraborti et al., 2000). Groundwater qualify in
Guwahati has been studied with special reference to the presence o f fluoride and was
observed that 10.7% has fluoride concentration above 1.5 ppm, the guideline value of
WHO, whereas 45.5% of the samples are below 0.6 ppm. High fluoride concentration
has been found in the southeastern plains o f the city (Das at el., 2003). Evidence of
extensive fluoride contamination in ground water and instances of fluorosis has been
reported from several localities of Guwahati (Sharma et al., 2005). Two districts,
Dhemaji and Karimganj, in Assam, have been surveyed for groundwater arsenic
contamination and it is found that the groundwater in both the districts is contaminated
with arsenic. 42.3% of the samples contained arsenic above 10 pg/L and 19.1% above
50 pg/L (Singh, 2004), Information on groundwater qualify o f North Eastern India is
scanty. Available literature shorn that groundwater of Assam is highly ferruginous
(Aowal 1981). A recent study shows many areas within the northeastern states with As
concentration greater than 0.05 mg/1, implying that millions o f people are at serious risk
o f As poisoning (Singh, 2004). According to a them, the concentration o f As generally

46
varies from 0.02 to 0.9 mg/1. While As and iron pose individual problems in the aqueous
environment, their association in groundwater have the potential o f providing a simple
means of removing As by co-precipitation and adsorption. About 95% o f the area of the
northeastern region contains dissolved iron in excess of 2 mg/L, and the iron
concentration is as high as 15 mg/L in many areas (Singh., 2004). In Assam, the
maximum arsenic was observed in Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Nalbari and Nagaon districts. In
Nagaon district, 76 samples were collected and 13 per cent of the samples were found
contaminated with arsenic. The range o f arsenic concentration was in between 112-601
pg/L. In Jorhat district, the contamination o f arsenic was highest in the range o f 194-657
pg/L. Altogether 80 samples were collected and 21 percent of the samples were found
contaminated with As. In Lakhimpur district, total 76 samples were analysed for As and
21 percent o f the samples were detected with As. The concentration of As in Lakhimpur
district was in between 50-550 pg/L. In Nalbari district, 19 per cent samples (72
samples) contained arsenic with the value between 106 pg/L to 422 pg/L. In most of the
samples, the iron content was much above the permissible level. However, the iron
content did not show significant correlation with arsenic (Singh, 2004).

47