Abstract

A study was carried out in coastal Ramanathapuram district to find out the influence of sea water intrusion on quality of irrigation water. The analytical results indicated that the ground water in the study area was sodic. The Residual Sodium Corbonate (RSC) value was negative in ninety three percent of the samples analysed. The Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) of irrigation water was found to be positively associated with SAR of the Soil Water Extract (SWE). A wide variations in the other quality parameters viz. potential salinity, permeability index, sodium ratio and adjusted SAR were observed due to the intrusion of sea water in to the ground fresh water aquifers of the coastal belt at various degrees. Significant positive correlation was noticed between SAR of irrigation water and the SWE of irrigated surface soils (r=0.231) No relationship existed between SAR and ESP of the coarse taxtured soils in the coastal areas.

Keywords: Sea water intrusion, Quality parameter, Coastal belt, and Irrigation water