Hydro-chemical profiling and contaminant source identification in agricultural canals using data driven clustering approaches

Abstract Canal networks are vital for irrigated agriculture in semi-arid regions, yet their water quality is increasingly endangered by diffuse agro-chemical runoff and unregulated effluent discharges. Despite this growing risk, long-term, high-resolution assessments that simultaneously capture spat...

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Main Authors: Yashaswi Songara, Anupam Singhal, Rahul Dev Garg, Srinivas Rallapalli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08620-z
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author Yashaswi Songara
Anupam Singhal
Rahul Dev Garg
Srinivas Rallapalli
author_facet Yashaswi Songara
Anupam Singhal
Rahul Dev Garg
Srinivas Rallapalli
author_sort Yashaswi Songara
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Canal networks are vital for irrigated agriculture in semi-arid regions, yet their water quality is increasingly endangered by diffuse agro-chemical runoff and unregulated effluent discharges. Despite this growing risk, long-term, high-resolution assessments that simultaneously capture spatial patterns and seasonal dynamics remain scarce—leaving practitioners with limited evidence for targeted interventions. Addressing this gap, the study sampled ten canal sites monthly for 11 months across Charkhi Dadri District (Haryana, India) and analysed sixteen physicochemical parameters, including heavy metals and irrigation-relevant ions. A suite of multivariate techniques—R- and Q-mode hierarchical clustering, principal-component analysis (PCA), correlation matrices and one-way ANOVA—was employed to disentangle pollution drivers, while the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) translated complex chemistry into management-ready scores. Two principal components explained 72.6% of variance, with aluminium, iron and copper emerging as dominant contributors; ANOVA revealed significant seasonal shifts (p < 0.05) in these metals. Cluster analysis pinpointed contamination hotspots, and IWQI values of 67.3–85.5 classified canal water as “good” to “very good” for irrigation. By integrating granular spatiotemporal monitoring with advanced multivariate statistics, the study delivers a scalable framework for managing irrigation canals in data-limited, semi-arid landscapes.
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issn 2045-2322
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spelling doaj-art-255e1da4400a4005ac29312630edd7b72025-08-20T03:04:29ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115112610.1038/s41598-025-08620-zHydro-chemical profiling and contaminant source identification in agricultural canals using data driven clustering approachesYashaswi Songara0Anupam Singhal1Rahul Dev Garg2Srinivas Rallapalli3Department of Civil Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and ScienceDepartment of Civil Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and ScienceCivil Engineering Department, Indian Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Civil Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and ScienceAbstract Canal networks are vital for irrigated agriculture in semi-arid regions, yet their water quality is increasingly endangered by diffuse agro-chemical runoff and unregulated effluent discharges. Despite this growing risk, long-term, high-resolution assessments that simultaneously capture spatial patterns and seasonal dynamics remain scarce—leaving practitioners with limited evidence for targeted interventions. Addressing this gap, the study sampled ten canal sites monthly for 11 months across Charkhi Dadri District (Haryana, India) and analysed sixteen physicochemical parameters, including heavy metals and irrigation-relevant ions. A suite of multivariate techniques—R- and Q-mode hierarchical clustering, principal-component analysis (PCA), correlation matrices and one-way ANOVA—was employed to disentangle pollution drivers, while the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) translated complex chemistry into management-ready scores. Two principal components explained 72.6% of variance, with aluminium, iron and copper emerging as dominant contributors; ANOVA revealed significant seasonal shifts (p < 0.05) in these metals. Cluster analysis pinpointed contamination hotspots, and IWQI values of 67.3–85.5 classified canal water as “good” to “very good” for irrigation. By integrating granular spatiotemporal monitoring with advanced multivariate statistics, the study delivers a scalable framework for managing irrigation canals in data-limited, semi-arid landscapes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08620-zANOVACanal systemsCluster analysisModelingWater quality
spellingShingle Yashaswi Songara
Anupam Singhal
Rahul Dev Garg
Srinivas Rallapalli
Hydro-chemical profiling and contaminant source identification in agricultural canals using data driven clustering approaches
Scientific Reports
ANOVA
Canal systems
Cluster analysis
Modeling
Water quality
title Hydro-chemical profiling and contaminant source identification in agricultural canals using data driven clustering approaches
title_full Hydro-chemical profiling and contaminant source identification in agricultural canals using data driven clustering approaches
title_fullStr Hydro-chemical profiling and contaminant source identification in agricultural canals using data driven clustering approaches
title_full_unstemmed Hydro-chemical profiling and contaminant source identification in agricultural canals using data driven clustering approaches
title_short Hydro-chemical profiling and contaminant source identification in agricultural canals using data driven clustering approaches
title_sort hydro chemical profiling and contaminant source identification in agricultural canals using data driven clustering approaches
topic ANOVA
Canal systems
Cluster analysis
Modeling
Water quality
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08620-z
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AT anupamsinghal hydrochemicalprofilingandcontaminantsourceidentificationinagriculturalcanalsusingdatadrivenclusteringapproaches
AT rahuldevgarg hydrochemicalprofilingandcontaminantsourceidentificationinagriculturalcanalsusingdatadrivenclusteringapproaches
AT srinivasrallapalli hydrochemicalprofilingandcontaminantsourceidentificationinagriculturalcanalsusingdatadrivenclusteringapproaches