INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCE RESEARCH
IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Reliable monitoring of freshwater bodies is central to the sustainable management of resources that support irrigation, drinking supply and rural livelihoods. This paper reports an assessment of the physico-chemical and biological condition of water drawn from the Indira Gandhi Canal as it passes through Hanumangarh District, Rajasthan. Samples were examined for pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, hardness, alkalinity, chlorides, nitrates, coliform bacteria and a set of trace metals, with collection spread across the pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons at several points along the canal. Recognised analytical protocols were followed throughout so that results could be benchmarked against national and international water-quality thresholds. The data reveal marked seasonal shifts in a number of parameters, consistent with the combined effects of changing hydrology, farm runoff and localised human activity along the canal command area. Concentrations of dissolved solids and nutrients rose during low-flow periods, most plausibly through evaporative concentration and inflow effects, whereas microbial counts climbed sharply during the monsoon, pointing to runoff-borne contamination. A subset of readings breached the limits set for drinking and irrigation use. Taken together, the findings signal growing pressure on the canal's ecological and public-health functions and argue for sustained monitoring, tighter pollution control, better wastewater handling and coordinated water-resource planning to safeguard this resource over the long term.