Preeti Priya and Arvind Kumar
Abstract
Udhuwa lake is a permanent wetland in the alluvial plains of the river Ganga and supports a rich diversity of resident and migratory birds due to its shallow depth, profuse aquatic flora and a variety of fish fauna it supports, the water bodies provide an excellent place for nesting breeding roosting of avifauna. The present study attempts to assess the water quality of the Udhuwa lake through phytoplankton studies. Phytoplankton as pollution indicator using Palmerâs algal index was carried out at three sites from Dec. 2020 to Aug. 2022. Samples were collected on a seasonal basis (Winter, Summer and Monsoon) from Udhuwa lake. The lake is facing various anthropogenic activities, like agricultural practices and also by sewage discharge. Palmerâs algal index varies between 18.33 at site-I, 17 at site-II and 13.66 at site-III during the year Dec. 2020 to Aug. 2021 of the study period and during the year Dec. 2021-Aug. 2022 it varies between 17.33 at site-I, 14.66 at site-II and 15.33 at site-III, which indicates probable organic pollution in all three sites during both the years.