WATER AND SEDIMENT QUALITY IN THE TEESTA RIVER WATERSHED, INDIA

This study focuses on potentially toxic contaminants within the water and sediment of the Teesta River, which originates from the pristine Cholamo Lake at an elevation of 17,500 feet in the Himalayas. Within 100 kilometers the river loses elevation to nearly sea level while passing by populated urban areas in the foothills of the Himalayas. The river is at its largest in the state of Sikkim and eventually joins the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. The entire length of the river is easily accessible by the Indian National Highway 31 (NH31), making the Teesta an ideal river to observe changes in water and sediment quality due to anthropogenic inputs. Field tests were conducted in the summer of 2011 to investigate water samples for pH, alkalinity, hardness, conductivity, nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen content and toxic trace metals along the length of the river. Sediment samples were collected for ICP-OES analysis.