In the country, water contamination is an acute problem which is increasing due
to industrialization. The remote sensing data are being used in the evaluation of
water quality. For the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of water quality using
remote sensing data, proper selection of wavelength of satellite sensor is essential.
In view of this, we have carried out experiments to study spectral reflectance
characteristics of different water samples with varying concentration of contaminants
(corbonate, chloride, fluoride, iodide, nitrate, phosphate and sulphate). The behavior
and magnitude of the spectral reflectance is found to vary with the sources and the
amount of contamination. Based on the detailed laboratory measurements, we have
discussed appropriate wavelengths for identification of these contaminants and
their concentration. Various empirical relationships between concentration of
contaminants and their reflectance have been proposed. The present study will
prove useful in the analysis of remote sensing data and in the estimation of
concentration of contaminates in the water bodies.