Assessment of Spatial Variation of Coastal Water Quality of Selected Beaches of Visakhapatnam Coast, Bay of Bengal, India

Anuhya T; Sharon Rose A; Nirmala Bharathi K; Ganesh P. R C; Sirisha I R

doi:10.37022/jis.v9i1.145

Anuhya T Department of Marine Living Resources, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
Sharon Rose A Department of Marine Living Resources, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
Nirmala Bharathi K Department of Marine Living Resources, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
Ganesh P. R. C Department of Marine Living Resources, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
Sirisha I R Department of Marine Living Resources, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

DOI https://doi.org/10.37022/jis.v9i1.145

Abstract

Study was conducted with the aim to understand the spatial variations of water quality parameters (temperature, salinity, pH, DO, BOD, TSS, TDS, turbidity, conductivity, alkalinity, hardness, NO₃^-, NO₂^-, NH₃-N, PO₄-P, and chlorophyll) in selected beaches viz., Ramakrishna Beach, Varun beach, YMCA beach, Rock beach (Maharanipeta), Sagar Nagar beach and Jalaripeta beach along the coast line of Visakhapatnam in order to assess the health of coastal ecosystem. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS statistics software. Pearson’s correlation coefficient test was performed to evaluate the relationship between the water parameters. The highest value of temperature (33°C) was recorded at Varun Beach and the lowest value (29°C) at YMCA beach. Total suspended solids varied from 0.04mg/l (Sagar Nagar beach) to 0.36mg/l (YMCA beach). The minimum and maximum values of total dissolved solids of the samples were recorded to be 10.56 mg/l (Rock Beach) to 12.9mg/l (Ramakrishna Beach). The pH ranged from 6.48 (Rock beach) to 7.27 (Ramakrishna beach). The highest salinity (27ppt) was recorded at Ramakrishna beach whereas the lowest salinity (30 ppt) was recorded at Rock beach. The conductivity varied from 15.39 mS/cm (Ramakrishna beach) to 16.39 mS/cm (Sagar Nagar Beach). The Dissolved Oxygen ranged between 3.8mg/l (Varun beach) to 6.1mg/l (Rock beach). The highest BOD (6.1mg/l) was observed at Sagar Nagar beach and the lowest BOD (1.9mg/l) was at YMCA beach. The nitrate values recorded between 0.028 mg/l (Jalaripeta beach) to 0.057mg/l (Varun beach) whereas the nitrite values ranged from 0.0171mg/l (Ramakrishna beach) to 0.0139 mg/l at YMCA beach. The highest values (0.285 mg/l) of ammonia were recorded at Jalaripeta beach and the lowest (0.034mg/l) at Rock beach. The phosphate values ranged from 0.087 mg/l (YMCA beach) to 0.99 mg/l (Jalaripeta beach). The values of total alkalinity were observed to be 50mg /l at Rock beach and 100mg/l at Ramakrishna beach. The minimum (2290 ppm) and maximum (3470 ppm) values of total hardness were observed at Jalaripeta beach and YMCA beach respectively while the total amount of chlorophyll varied from 0.032 μg/l (YMCA beach) to 0.057μg/l (Jalaripeta beach). Generally, the coastal waters of Visakhapatnam show moderate to good water quality, though certain areas experience higher levels of pollution due to industrial discharges, urbanization, and waste dumping. Elevated nutrient levels, in particular, can lead to eutrophication and harmful algal blooms, which may affect both marine biodiversity and local fisheries.

Keywords: Water quality, Physical, Chemical, Coastal waters, Beaches

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