Gouri Suresh* & Meena Krishnan
*Department of Botany, Jamshedpur Women’s College,
Jamshedpur 831001, Jharkhand, India
Received 10th January 2012; Revised 23rd February, 2012
Abstract : Defilement of water and deterioration of aquatic ecosystems is as old as civilization. Yet urbanization and various developmental activities have led to irreversible changes in such ecosystems. As lakes are fragile ecosystems, they are more vulnerable to such problems than other water bodies. Pollution caused by anthropogenic activities affects physico-chemical characteristics of water, leading to destruction of aquatic communities, disruption of delicate food webs and an overall deterioration of the lake environment. The present paper deals with pollution indicators in the HUDCO Lake of Jamshedpur, a well known industrial city of the state of Jharkhand, India. Studies were done both at biological and physico-chemical levels. The results showed that the HUDCO Lake has a high algal biodiversity. It is home to 56 members of Cyanophyta, 18 members of Chlorophyta, 4 of Charophyta and 20 of Bacillariophyta. The higher level of biodiversity as well as the prominence of the Cyanobacteria indicates eutrophication. Of the 60 genera listed as pollution tolerant by Palmer (1969), 21 are found growing in this lake. That the HUDCO Lake is polluted has been corroborated by physico-chemical analysis of the water also as TSS and BOD have crossed desirable limit in some months in the HUDCO Lake. The lake thus calls for management measures like source control, in-lake treatment etc. Awareness creation and people’s participation are also essential.
Be First to Comment