Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on water quality of major rivers in Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 lockdown resulted in a reduction in human activities, lowering pollution levels in these rivers. Nevertheless, limited research can be found on the impact of COVID-19 on river water quality in Sri Lankan rivers. Therefore, this research was carried out to investigate the water quality index (WQI) of four major rivers (Mahaweli, Nilwala, Kelani, and Kalu) in Sri Lanka in three consecutive time slots spanning from 2019 to 2022 (before, during, and after the lockdown). In-depth WQI analysis has unveiled nuanced dynamics in river health. While the lockdown period contributed to positive alterations in key parameters, subsequent periods demonstrated declining water quality in the post-lockdown period. This decline underscores the direct correlation between human activity and river water quality. Several parameters showed positive changes during the lockdown, indicating an improvement in river water quality. When comparing the periods before, during, and after the lockdown, pH, colour, turbidity, total iron, sulphate, chloride, total coliform, and E. coli all showed a significant positive impact. However, some parameters, such as fluoride and electrical conductivity (EC), had a neutral effect. This study sheds light on the positive effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on reducing river pollution in Sri Lanka.