Seasonal Impacts of Spring Shed Management on Water Quality: Enhancing Water Security in Lathao Village of Namsai District, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

The seasonal impacts of spring shed management on water quality play a crucial role in ensuring long-term water security for rural communities. The primary source of freshwater for the local population is the spring water. That was evident in a study conducted for rejuvenation of 5 dying springs of Lathao village Namsai district, Arunachal Pradesh, India during 2020 to 2024. During this period number of interventions such as conical ponds (12), nallah bunds(10), and vegetative measures were implemented for spring shed management. A noticeable result has been observed due to the impact of seasonal variations, together with climate change and land use pattern on water quality and quantity.  This study investigates key physico-chemical parameters of spring water such as pH, Temperature, TDS, and electrical conductivity to evaluate the effectiveness of spring shed management before and after the interventions on the across different seasons in a cluster of 5 springs.The samples for the chemical analyses were collected at an interval of six months. Primary results depicted significant improvement in water quality due to spring shed management, particularly during the summer season when water scarcity and contamination risks are high. The obtained results were within the permissible limits of World Health Organization's (WHO) with exception of pH. The pH concentration was below the permissible limit with a mean value of 5.76±0.08 (monsoon), 5.70±0.09 (PrM), and 5.85±0.07 (PoM) in all seasons were mildly acidic. After intervention work, the concentration values for all parameters are increasing. However, no significant inference can be drawn from the chemical analyses of the samples and could be ascertained later with time after having sufficient data. However there has been a notable drop in the levels of Total Hardness (approx 50%) and Calcium concentration (approx 70%) after intervention. The findings underscore the importance of community-driven and sustainable approaches for managing natural water resources, ensuring that rural populations have reliable access to clean water year-round.