CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF WATER QUALITY OF WETLAND AT KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK, BHARATPUR, RAJASTHAN

Abstract

Wetlands are regions where the soil remains saturated with water throughout the year. Wetlands are most productive ecosystem on earth. The characteristics that differentiate wetlands from other landforms are vegetation adapted to unique hydric soil. They serve as home to wide range of plants and wild life.

Wetlands are divided into Marine wetlands (coastal wetlands), Lacustrine (lakes), Palustrine (marshy- marshes, swamps and bogs), Riverine (along river and streams), and Estuarine (deltas, tidal marshes and

swamps).Convention on wetland, Ramsar (Iran) furnishes framework for conservation and wise use of wetlands via local, national and international actions and co-operation so that we can achieve sustainable wetland management throughout the world. According to Ramsar wetlands are “ Natural water bodies such as rivers , lakes , corals, lagoons ,etc. and artificial or man-made like sewage farms , irrigation fields , farm ponds etc. with water either static or flowing fresh, brackish or salt it include marine water also which depth of water doesn’t exceed six meters at low tides. At present in India there are 42 Ramsar sites (42nd is Tso-kar wetland in Ladakh). Functions of Wetland are Multiple-use water services(Water for irrigation , Domestic needs, Fisheries, Recreational uses, Ground water recharge , Flood control, and silt capture), Carbon Sequestration , Pollution abatement , Flood Control, Biodiversity Hotspot ,Tourism and recreation , Shoreline stabilization, and storm protection , Water purification , Waste water treatment (Constructed wetlands) , and Reduce wave damage. Threats to wetlands are Urbanization and land use charges , Agricultural, municipal and Industrial Pollution, Climate change, Reduced Precipitation, Change in Precipitation, Runoff, temperature, and Evapotranspiration, Dehydration/Aridification, and Salinisation. Such a wetland, which is international important too is Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in Bharatpur, Rajasthan in northwest India, which is chosen for the study. From KNP 12 water samples and 5 sediments sample were analyzed and physio-chemical properties such as temperature, pH, EC, TDS, TSS, etc. were determined. It is found that relatively high concentration of phosphorus indicates eutrophic status of lake, also water is found to be alkaline-cum-saline in nature further the water and sediment quality represent relatively degraded quality and immediate intervention in terms of improving water level, reviving the functional food chain etc. should be taken up.