Environmental Management of Major Lakes of Vadodara

Environmental Management of Major Lakes of Vadodara

Water is inevitably the most important resource on Earth. Nearly 70 % of the Earth's surface is covered by water, yet there is only 0.3% of the total water is available as fresh water for various human requirements. The water bodies present in urban areas such as lakes, ponds, tanks, rivers etc. are under continuous pressure due to various anthropogenic activities. In the current study, 3 water bodies of Vadodara city were selected for assessment of water quality. The selection was made on the basis of their size, human activities at the periphery and land use in the surrounding area. The water bodies selected were Sursagar lake (lake in the centre of the city) and Sama pond & Harni pond (ponds at the periphery of the city). One time grab samples were collected from all the three reservoirs and they were analysed for pH, Conductivity, Total dissolve solids, Total suspended solids, Sodium, Potassium, Hardness, Alkalinity, Chloride, Sulphate, Nitrate-nitrogen, Nitrite-nitrogen, Phosphate, Ammonical-nitrogen, TKN, Sulphides, Oil and grease, DO, COD, BOD, Heavy metals. The result showed that the total dissolved concentration was found to be maximum in Sursagar lake which may be attributed to surface run off and use of surfactants in surrounding areas. It also showed elevated levels of Electrical Conductivity. The total hardness values were also maximum in Sursagar Lake in comparison to the rest of the two ponds. It was also identified during the study that the Nitrate was below detectable limit in case of Sama and Harni Ponds where as it was detected to be 0.115 ppm in Sursagar lake. This could have resulted in cultural eutrophication and ultimately increase in the BOD value. However, a continuous aeration system has raised the DO of water to as high as 8.46 ppm which maintains the healthy life in the lake ecosystem. The result showed that the concentration of contaminants in Sursagar Lake was maximum which can be attributed to excessive pressure from anthropogenic activities. The overall outcomes of the study were as follows:
Generation of baseline information for further investigation of Limnological parameters.
Qualitative assessment of anthropogenic impacts on water quality.
Comparison of water quality among different water bodies having different peripheral land use pattern.