Author(s): S. Rehana; P. P. Mujumdar
Linked Author(s): Pradeep P Mujumdar
Keywords: River Water Quality; Climate Change Impacts; Hypothetical Scenarios; Fuzzy Waste Load Allocation Model
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to analyse the climate change impacts on river water quality variables by perturbing the input variables affected by climate change. To examine the impact of change in climate variables on the water quality parameters, the water quality input variables have to be perturbed to account for the corresponding changes in the climate variables. Therefore hypothetical scenarios of streamflow and temperatures are developed to account for the climate change, based on observed data analysis. The water quality parameters have been evaluated under conditions of altered river flow and river temperature. Water quality responses of six hypothetical climate change scenarios were simulated by the water quality model, QUAL2K, for the study region of Tunga-Bhadra river in India. Results show a significant decrease of DO levels due to the impact of climate change. The necessity to improve the standards and to develop adaptation policies to account for climate change is examined through a fuzzy waste load allocation model developed earlier.
Year: 2011