Climate Change Impact on the Ecology of Algae Dwelling in Certain Hyderabad Lakes

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Summary:

Climate change is an emerging and ongoing environmental challenge. Climate change is happening on a global scale and it is one of the defining issues of the 21st century. Rising temperatures, new precipitation patterns, and other changes are already affecting many aspects of human society and the natural world. Climate change has complex effects on water supply and demand. Climate change can cause significant impacts on water resources.

Lakes can be extremely sensitive to short- and long-term changes in the weather and so are intrinsically sensitive to climate change either through a direct effect, or indirectly by affecting process that take place in the catchment.

Lakes and reservoirs in India serve as important water resource for inhabitants of the respective area. Hydrological conditions such as amount of precipitation, water loss due to high heat indices and man induced perturbances can modify chemical and physical characteristics such as pH, nutrient availability, soil salinity, degree of substrate anoxia and sediment properties.

These changes in physicochemical environment have direct impact on the biotic component of the water body. The climate change alters the quality of the lakes. An appreciable amount of work has been done on climate change and its impact on the ecology of algae dwelling in lakes.

In this project, climate change impact on the ecology of algae dwelling in Nadimi and Saroornagar Lakes of Hyderabad was studied and steps to conserve them are suggested.

A Survey and Analysis of Different Types of Drinking Water of Hyderabad and its Effect on School Children

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Summary:

With the increasing Population of Hyderabad city and the rapid expansion of it, drinking water problem has gained utmost significance. Supply of drinking water through the distribution system by the Municipal Corporation has been reduced and the dwellers of Hyderabad are aware that water is cut once in a week. With approaching summer, the consumers must not be surprised if water is supplied on alternate days. Those areas which are beyond the Municipal limits get drinking water either from wells which are shallow or from borewells. Under the present circumstances School going children consume well water, bore well water, Municipal water supplied through the piped distribution system.

Three different types of schools located in various parts of Hyderabad were identified.

• S-I: L. B. Nagar & Kharmanghat - Where only well water is used for drinking purpose.

• S-II: Santoshnagar & Malakpet - Where only bore well water is used for drinking.

• S-III: Kurmaguda & Koti - Where MCH water is used for drinking.

In each type, two schools were selected as mentioned above. The Project work started in February, 1994 and the work completed till Feburary 1997 as under. Although the effective date of starting the project is given as 14-2-1994, the Project work commenced with the Appointment of the Project Assistant on 23-4-1994.

Water sampling commenced from September, 1994. The Project Report is based on the samples collected and analysed from September, 1994 to August, 1996. Water samples were collected according to P.857 of standard methods for the examination of water and waste water, 1995. The following physical, chemical and biological (phytoplankton and bacteria) were analysed.

• Physical: Temperature.

• Chemical: pH; CO3-; HCO3--; Cl-; Dissolved Oxygen; Calcium; Magnesium; Alkalinity; Hardness; Flouride; Total, dissolved and suspended solids; Nitrites; Nitrates; Phosphates; Ammonia.

• Biological: Phytoplankton; Bacteria.

Survey of Fluoride Content in Groundwaters of Ranga Reddy District and its Effect on Human Health

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Summary:

With the increasing population the rapid expansion of industrialization and urbanization, drinking water problem has gained utmost significance. The general public of Ranga Reddy district are drinking potable water supplied by Panchatyat Raj. However, they use alternate source of water like borewell water i.e., groundwater for their requirements.

The project work started in 20 June 2006 and the work completed in 30 June 2008. Water sampling commenced from 24 June 2006. The project report is based on the samples collected and analysed from 24 June 2006 to 20 April 2008. Water samples were collected according to P.857 of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste Water, 1995.

In the present survey, Groundwater samples drawn by borewells of 32 Mandals were investigated and the quality of borewell water was analysed. From each mandal three spots are selected and the average is taken.

Air Pollution Tolerance Index of Certain Plants of Hyderabad City

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Summary:

The development of new environmental problems as result of large scale industrialization and urbanization has given rise to new ideas in the field of air pollution. Plants growing in polluted environment often responded and showed significant changes in their morphology, physiology and biochemistry. In terrestrial plant species, the enormous foliar surface area acts as natural sink for pollutants especially the gaseous ones. The efficiency of plants in absorbing is such that it can provide pockets of clean air (Gilbert 1968). If these parameters are properly quantified can serve as a measure of the pollutant levels affecting the plant and in determining the tolerance levels of constituent plant species.

The leaf samples of different species of plants from Hyderabad collected in morning hours. Fully matured leaves of each species were selected and care was taken to see as far as possible that the plants were collected from isoecological conditions of light, water and soil. The leaf samples collected were analysed for pH of leaf extract ( Singh and Rao, 1983) total chlorophyll (Arnon, 1949), Ascorbic acid (Singh, 1977), Relative water content (RWC, %) (Singh, 1977).

An attempt has been made to determine the air pollution tolerance index (APTI) which gives an empirical value for the tolerance level of plant to air pollution. Azardirachta indica, Pithecolobium dulce and Ficus religiosa among trees, Bougainvillea spectabillis, among shrubs, Parthenium hysterophorus among herbs were highly tolerant to air pollution. These act as sinks to the air pollutants and specially the trees and shrubs can be planted on either sides of the roads which act as bio-absorbants. The plants can be used as avenue trees or green belt plants.

A Study on the Organic and Industrial Pollution and Ecological Reclamation of the Husain Sagar Lake

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Summary:

The report is divided into 5 sections. Section I gives a brief history of the lakes and discusses in some length the problem of its shrinkage. It also includes a resume of what is known about its feeder channel. Section II, provides information on the physiography of its basin, and the physical and chemical conditions of its water prevailing in 1956-1959. This is included with the view to give a picture of the lake before it became the dumping ground of the industrial waste. Section III, is based on the data collected during the present study and emphasises on the levels of organic and industrial pollutants and their limnological consequences. Section IV, includes brief descriptions of the problematic organisms and the strategy to be adopted to eradicate them. The concluding section is the summation of the problems of the probable way-outs that may be helpful in bringing about an ecological reclamation of the Husain Sagar lake.