Ecological study of Ghodagho di lake

J. Diwakar
1

, S. Bajracharya

and U.R. Yadav

1

Wetlands comprise 5% of worlds total land areas of Nepal. The present study GhodaghodiLake in the Far-West Nepal Terai manifested

the physicochemical contamination in thelake. All the parameters were within the WHO guideline values except for Phosphate andDissolved

Oxygen. Water depth varies form 1-4 m. High phosphate level suggested thatthe lake is hypertrophic. Dissolved oxygen was low, ranging between 5.27-6.56

mg/l. Thepresence of high density of Hemiptera (384.23 ind/m

2

) and Ephimeripterae (273.66 ind/ m

2

) indicted that water was polluted

due to high nutrient deposition both from the decayingof the abundant aquatic flora and from the surrounding area. The most important challengethat we have to face is to

strike a balance between sustainable human exploitation andmaintaining the ecological character of a wetland ecosystem. Key words:

Ghodaghodi Lake, phytoplankton, macroinvertebrates , phosphate, nitrate

W
etlands are lands transitional

between terrestrialand aquatic systems where soil is frequently waterl ogged, the water table is usually at or near thesurface or the

land is covered by shallow water. Entirecivilizatio n developed around wetlandareas of immense value both economically and

in terms of quality life. But over exploitation of wetlands impairsits sustainability. Survival of human

civilization ininextricably linked with wetlands. By sustaining theeconomic stability of hundreds of millions of

people,the society is benefited from the wetlands in adifferent manner. On a shorter time scale, wetlandsare

usually useful as sources, sinks and transformersof a multitude of chemical, biological and geneticmaterials. They have been

found to cleanse pollutedwater, prevent floods and recharge groundwateraqui fers. Furthermore, wetlands provide a uniquehabitat

for a wide variety of flora and fauna. James(1995) has rightly called the wetlands as natureskidneys because of the natural

functions they perform (Poddar et al 2001).Water, the most vital resource for all life on this planetis also the

resource, adversely affected qualitatively and quantitatively by different of human activitieson land, in air, or in

water. Today most of the surfaceand the ground water of the world receive millionsof liters of sewage, domestic waste, industrial

andagricultural effluents containing substances varying in characteristics from simple nutrients to highly

toxicsubstances (Trivedy and Goel 1986).Ghodagho di lake is a natural freshwater oxbow lakeon the lower slope

of Siwalik. It is a large and shallow

1

Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, P.O. Box: 9135, Kathmandu, NepalE-

mail: jasdiwa@gmail.com

lake, having finger-like projections, with associatedmarsh es and meadows surrounded by tropicaldeciduou

s forest on the lower slopes of Siwalik range.There are thirteen associated lakes and ponds; somestreams have separated

lakes and ponds, and somestreams are separated by hillocks situated on theperiphery of Ghodaghodi. The forest and wetland isa wildlife corridor

between the low land and theSiwalik. The lake is fed by surface flows from thewatershed area, groundwater,

springs and smallstreams. Water depth varies from 1-4 m (DNPWC &WWF 2005). Site description: It is situated at an altitude of

205metres above the sea level. Its latitude and longitudeare 28

0

4206.6N and 80
0

5644E respectively. It issituated in

Sukhad, ward no. 5, Darakh VDC, 1 kmwest of Sukhad Chouraha, Kailali district in the Terairegion of Far-Western Development

Region, Nepal.It lies along the Mahendra Highway (100 m north of the EastWest highway) with several ramificationscaus ed by soil

erosion and running water. The lake isowned by the State and surrounded by national forest.Ghodagho di lake is one of four Ramsar

wetland sitesof international importance in Nepal, and is part of the Terai Arc Landscape. Ghodaghodi lake (150 ha)is one of the 14 lakes of

Ghodaghodi Lake Complex(2563 ha) a Ramsar site of Nepal (Kafle 2006).Many of the branches become

disconnected fromthe main water body during low water seasons. Thewetland has a permanent flow. Recently, the templeof

Ghodaghodi Deity has been built with theassistance from the local people and District

19
Banko Janakari, Special Issue

Development Committee. The topography of theLake is palm shaped with many

ramifications. Among them, notches extending towards north are largerthan those on other sides. The temperature rise ishighest in

the month of May, and drops to its lowestin the month of January. The mean maximumtemper ature of May was 37.2

C while in 1995 itreached the highest to 40.4

0

C. Similarly, the meanminimum temperature of January was 7.54

0

C; thelowest recorded temperature in 19 years was 7

0

C inDecember 1994. Premonsoon was the hottest

season(average 34.43
0

C) while the winter season was thecoldest season (average 8.42

0

C). The area receives anaverage annual rainfall of 1794.12 mm. Dry andsurplus year were almost similarly distributed

(11:8)but of the total rainfall, 87.71% of rainfall occurredin monsoon season (JuneSeptember). This mightbe the

reason for devastating flood in the monsoonseason and dryness in the remaining seasons.The lake supports critically endangered Red-

crownedRoofed Turtle ( Kachuga Kachuga ); endangered Tiger( Panthera tigris ), Three-striped Roof Turtle (

Kachuga dhongka

); vulnerable Smooth-coated Otter ( Lutra perpiscillata ), Common Otter ( Lutra lutra ), Swamp deer(

Cervus duvaucelli

), Lesser Adjutant Stork( Leptotilos javanic us ) and Marsh Crocodile (

Crocodylus palustris

);and endangered Orchid ( Aerides odorata ), religiously impor tant and

threatened Lotus ( Nelumbo nucifera ),and rare wild rice ( Hygrohiza aristata

) (DNPWC &WWF, 2005).The lake is rich in floral diversity with excellentenviron ment conditions for both lake and terrestrial(grassla

nd and forest) vegetation. Lake vegetationinclud es the free floating species ( Azolla, Lemna,Spirodela and

Ricclocarpus

), the submergent species( Hydrilla verticillata, Chara fragilis, Nitella spp and Potamogeton sp.

) the rooted floating species ( Leudwigia adscen dens, Potamogeton natans, Nymphaeae stellata,Nymphoi des sp.

and Dictyospperum scaberrimum ), theemergent species ( Limnophila indica and

Monochoria hastat a

) and marshland species ( Rannunculus, Phragmites phalari s, Oryza isachne, Shcoenoplectus, Ipomoea

).The wetland and surrounding forests are renownedfor their rich mammalian fauna too. The lake is awintering area for sizeable

numbers of several speciesof waterfowl, and provides a staging area for many species during their migration.The lake is also rich

in herpetofauna and fishes. Thelake area is a habitat for protected wildlife on Nepalsuch as the Marsh mugger, Endangered

Goldenmonitor lizard, Indian python and tortoise. The lakearea housed Common otter and indigenous speciesof fish. A large species of

tortoise is also reportedto be present in this area.About 140 species of birds, both migrant andresident, representing over 16% of national

avifaunahave been reported in the area. A few birds that breedin north Asia are also reported to reside here. Butthe destruction and

deterioration of the surrounding fore st area have threatened their presence. It is thelargest interconnected natural lake system in the

Teraiof Nepal. The other lakes connected with it areNakhrodi Lake, Baishhawa Lake, Ojhuwa Lake,Chidiya Lake, Budhi Nakhrodi Lake,

Sunpokhari Lakeand Ramphal Lake. It is vulnerable and is exposed totremendous anthropogenic activities. Because of

thisthe Lake has always been in the top priority of IUCNNepals Wetlands and Heritage Unit. Likewise, theNepal Government has

also listed it as a criticalwetland habitat. Due to these reasons, GhodaghodiLake along with other lakes at its catchment area wasselected as

the site for the study.

Materials and methods

Physicochemical and the status of aquatic flora andfauna was

determined for the assessment of water

Table 1: Test parameters, methods of analyses and instruments usedS.N. Parameters Unit Method of analyses

1 pH - pH meter2 Temperature
0

C Mercuric thermometer3 Conductivity

s/cm Conductivity meter4 Dissolved

Oxygen mg/L Winklers Iodometric method5 Total Alkalinity mg/L Titrimetric method6 Hardness mg/L EDTA titrimetric method7 Chloride

mg/L Argentometric method8 Free Carbondioxide mg/L Titrimetric method9 NitrateNitrogen mg/L Phenol Disulphonic acid method10

Phosphate mg/L Ammonium molybdate method Diwakar

et al.

20
Banko Janakari, Special Issue

quality of the lake. Analyses of the physicochemicalparamet ers were done by following APHA (1998).pH and Conductivity of water samples

were recordedat the site during the sampling period. Otherparameter s were analyzed in the EnvironmentLa boratory of

CDES. The samples were analyzedon the same day immediately and always within 6hours of collection. Test parameters,

methods of analyses and instruments used for analyses are shownin Table 1.Sampling of benthic fauna from different sites werecarried

out using the grab sampler of an area 0.02498m

2

. During the collection of samples, grab samplerwas

locked initially and slowly dropped into the pondtying it with nylon thread, as the sampler touchedthe bottom it automatically

unlocked itself grabbing the sediment within it. The sampler was pulled upand sediments were transferred into a bucket. Toremove clay

and organic matter, the sediments weresieved using sieve size number 106 micron. Then thesieved samples were

stored in labelled polythenesample bag along with little water and carried back to the laboratory at CDES. The sorting of

sampleswere carried out in white enamel trays with the helpof forceps, brushes, and dropper.

Results and discussion

The temperature at various depths shows that thetemperature gradually decreases with

depths. Thesurface temperature at different sites ranged from15

0

C to 16
0

C, temperature at 1.5 m depth was 15

0

Cat site 2, and temperature at 1 m depth was 16

0

C atsite 3. Conductivity

ranged from 106 s/cm to 111s/cm. pH ranged from 6.9 to 7.4. DissolvedOxyge n (DO) increased with depth. DO of surfacewater

ranged from 5.27 mg/l to 5.43 mg/l. DO of site 2 was 6.40 mg/l at 1 m depth and DO of site 3was 6.56 at 1.5m depth.. Total alkalinity ranged

from75 mg/l to 80 mg/l on the surface, 75 mg/l at 1.5 mdepth of site 2, and 75 mg/l at 1m depth at site 3.
Table 2: PhysicoChemical

Parameters of Ghodaghodi Lake. Site 1 Site 2 Site 3ParametersSurface Surface 1.5 m Surface 1 mTime 10:30 A.M 10:55 A.M 11:30 A.MAir Temperature (
0

C) 18 17 17.5Water Temperature (
0

C) 15 15.5 15 16 15Conductivity (S/cm) 111 111 110 106 108pH 7.4 7.0 7.2 7.3 6.9Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l) 5.35

5.43 6.56 5.27 6.4Phenolphthalein Alkalinity (mg/l) 0 0 0 0 0Total Alkalinity (mg/l) 80 80 75 75 90Hardness (mg/l) 52 51.2 51.4 58 58Chloride (mg/l) 12.78 15.62 13.49

17.81 17.04Free Carbondioxide (mg/l) 13.2 8.36 12.32 14.08 15.4Phosphate (mg/l) 0.409 0.105 0.099 0.421 0.206 No. of individuals (X)S i t e 1 Site 2 Site

3 S i t e 4 Name of speciesA B C A B A B C A B C

X
1

X
2

Mean(X

)Mean(X
2

)Density(X
1

)Density(X
1

) AverageDensityG o s s i p h o n i d a e 1 - - - - - - - - -

1 0 1 0 4 4 . 8 2 2 . 4 Hemipt era 17 4 1 2 2 1 2 - - - 17 12 17 1.2 761.6 6.86 384.23L i n m e a 2 1 - -

0 0 4 e 1 6

- - - - 2 1 2 . 1 8 9 . 6 . 5 7 5 . 0 9 D i p t r a 3 - 1 - - - - 3 1 3 0 . 1 3 4 . 4 0 . 5 7 7 . 4 9 Ephim

eripterae 12 3 7 - - 1 - - 5 1 12 17 12 1.7 537.6 9.71 273.66Chron omidae 5 1 7 - - 2 1 23 1 5 1 5 41 5 4.1 44.8

23.43 123.72M q u i t o l a r v a e - - - - - - 1 1 0 - 2 2 . 4 Gyraulus

o s 1 - 0

- - 3 1 - 4 1 - 1 5 1 . 5 8 . 5 7 4 . Hydracarina - 1 - 1 - - - - 2 0 . 2 -

4 2 2 8 -

1 0 o 1 0 p -

. 1 4 . 5 7 D r a g n f l y - 1 - - - - - - - 2 0 . 2 . 1 4 . 5 7 Cerato ogonidae 1 - - - -

1 0 0 d 0 0 n

- - - - - 0.1 .57 .29N e r i t i a e - - 1 - - - - 1 - 2 . 2 - 1 . 1 4 . 5 7 S e g n e t i n a - -

- - 3 - - - - - - 3 0 . 3 - 1 . 7 1 0 . 8 6 B i t h i n i d a e - - - - - - 1 - - - - 1 0 . 1 - 0 . 5 7 0 . 2 9 Corixa

- - - - - - 1 - - - 1 0 . 1 0 . 5 7 0 . 2 9 Isopteron isopteran - - - - - - - - 1 - 1 -

0 . 1 0 . 5 7 0 . 2 9 Diwakar
et al.

21
Banko Janakari, Special IssueDiwakar
et al.

Hardness ranged form 51.2 mg/l to 58 mg/l on thesuface, 51.4

mg/l at site 2 and 58 mg/l at site 3. Freecarbondioxid e ranged from 8.36 mg/l to 14.08 mg/l on the surface, 12.32 mg/l at site 2 and 15.4 mg/l atsite

3. Phosphate ranged from 0.409 mg/l to 0.421mg/l on the surface, 0.099 mg/l at site 2 and 0.206mg/l at site 3. Its concentration

decreased with depth.Regarding macroinvertebrat es, higher density of Hemiptera (384.23 no./m
2

) and the least density of Isopteron isoptera , Corix, Bithindae andCeratopogoni dae (0.285 no./m
2

each).Wetlands are full of mystery. These forgotten placesare some of our beautiful heritages. Nepal aboundsin wetlands and has

for centuries benefited form thewealth they have provided, timbers, fruits, firewood,fish and medicines. Our wetland wealth has becomeeven

more valuable in the face of increasing deve lopment pressures. Each year, uncontrolleddev elopment has been destroying

scores of hectaresof wetlands, the essential natural filters.Pollution of water is responsible for a large numberof mortalities and

morbidities in the world. Waterno longer remains a free good. Man has tried tocope up with this scenario and has rapidly advancedits

efforts to counterpart this malady. Over the pastfew decades, natural and polluted waters have beenstudied in detail all over the world and

considerabledata are now available on most kinds of pollutantsand their effects on ecosystems as well as organisms.A regular

monitoring of some of them not only prevents diseases and hazards but also checks thewater resources from getting further polluted

(Trivedy and Goel, 1986).Temperatu re is an important limiting factor of anaquatic ecosystem and a good indicator of waterquality.

All metabolic and physiological activities suchas respiration, circulation, and reproduction. aregenerally influenced by temperature.

During thepresent investigation the temperature of surface waterranged form 15

0

C to 16
0

C. The present investigationdid not show considerable changes in temperature.The depth-wise analysis of temperature

showed thatthere was a decrease in the temperature as the depthincreases. It might be due to high density of phytoplankton at the upper

layers, which restricts thesolar radiation to penetrate into the deeper layers.One of the most unusual properties of water is thefact

that its density does not monotonically increaseas the temperature drops. Instead it has a maximumdensity at 4

C. One result of this maximum density is that above 4

0

C, the density of water decreases withtemperature. Dissolved

oxygen is considered as an importantparam eter in water quality assessment. Theconcentratio n of oxygen in water depends

mainly on two sources: diffusion from atmosphere, whichdepends on solubility of oxygen under the influenceof temperature,

salinity, water movement. andphotosynthet ic evolution, which is a biologicalproces s and depends on the availability of light andrate of

metabolic process. The surface DO of allthree sites is greater than 5 mg/l while the depthwise analysis of DO showed the

increase in DO. Thismight be due to decrease in temperature with depththat causes decrease in the metabolic activities.Organi sms have specific

requirement for DO, so thelower concentration may affect the survival of aquaticorganisms. The present study revealed that the valuesfor

DO in sample water from surface and depth wiseanalysis were above the WHO permissible value of 5 mg/l.The hardness of water

is not actually a pollutionparamet er but indicates water quality. It is due topresence of dissolved salts of Calcium andMagnesium.

It is expressed as an equivalentconce ntration of calcium carbonate in mg/l. Hardwater requires a considerable

amount of soap toproduce lather. Scaling of hot water pipes, boilersand other household appliances is also due to thehard water. It was

high at site 3 while least at site 2,this might be due to presence of agricultural land insite 3, which was more prone to pollution.Carbon

is usually found from a number of naturalsources, including alkalinity, dissolved carbon dioxidefrom the atmosphere, and decaying organic

matter.So, it is not often a limiting nutrient. The carbondioxide in water increased with depth; this might bedue to decomposition of

dead and decayed parts of plants and other organisms.The conductivity is a numerical expression of theability of an

aqueous solution to carry an electriccurrent and depends on the presence of ions, theirtotal concentration, mobility, valence and

relativeconcentra tion and on the temperature measurement.It is an important criterion in determining thesuitability of water for

irrigation. Since the values of conductivity in all the sites exceeded the limiting value,the water was suitable for irrigation.

22
Banko Janakari, Special Issue

There is no substantial alteration in the value of pHin different sites. The pHs at all

the sites were withinthe specified range of water quality as prescribed by WHO guidelines 6.57.5.In natural fresh water high

concentration of chlorideis considered to be an indicator of environmentpoll ution due to organic wastage of animal origin.The

maximum permissible WHO standard of chloride for drinking water is 250 mg/l. The chlorideconcentra tions at all the sites were within

the specifiedrange of water quality.Alkalinit y is the acid neutralizing capacity of water.In nature, due to the

action of limestone ingroundwater there occurs carbonates, bicarbonates,bor ate, silicates, and phosphates together

withhydroxyl ions that contributes to alkalinity. The study revealed that phenolphthalein alkalinity was absentmanifestin

g that the total alkalinity was only due tobicarbonates.P hosphorus occurs in water mostly as phosphate. Itis rarely found in high

concentration at it is actively taken up by plants. Natural source of phosphorusare mainly due to the weathering of

phosphorusbeari ng rocks and the decomposition of organicmatter. In most natural surface water, phosphorusrange s from 0.00550.020 mg/l as

ortho phosphate.In the study, all the sites have exceeded this naturallevel. The deviation to some extent might be due toagricultural

runoff from the surrounding area.Transparenc y of water denotes the ability of light topass through the water so that object situated at

depthcan be clearly seen. Transparency is very importantphysic al parameter, which directly influence theproductivity

status of water body. The presence of suspended dissolved organic, inorganic material andturbidity of

water diminishes the sechhi disctransparency status and is essential a function of the reflection of light and restricts the

penetrationof light in an aquatic environment. All lakes gradually accum ulate silt and organic matter as they undergo

anatural aging process known as eutrophication. Ayoung lake is characterized by low nutrient contentand low plant productivity.

Such oligotrophic lakesgradually acquire nutrients from their drainage basins,which facilitates increased aquatic growth. Over

time,the increased biological productivity causes the waterto become murky with phytoplankton, while decaying organic

matter contributes to the depletion of available DO. The lake becomes eutotrophic as theaccumulating silt and organic debris cause the

laketo become shallower and warmer, more plants takeroot along the shallow edges, and the lake slowly transfor ms into a

marsh or bog, while sucheutrophicati on is a natural process that may takethousands of years, it is possible to accelerate

greatly the rate of change through human activities. Algalblooms die and decay, causing unsightly, odorousclumps of rotting debris

along the shoreline and thick mats of dead organic matter in the lake. Thedecompositi on of dead algae uses up

availableoxygen , resulting in the same sort of oxygendepletion problems. Among the first casualties arecold water fish, whose

temperature sensitivity forcesthem to stay in the colder bottom waters of lakewhere the least amount of oxygen, but the toxicity of the

water increases as hydrogen sulfide and metals,such as iron and manganese, which are normally tiedup as precipitates in sediments, are

dissolved andreleased into the lake.The bottom fauna plays an important role in theoverall biological productivity of

the lake. They serveas food for most of the bottom feeding fishes andare the nutritional sources. A total of 16 taxas wererecorded

from the lake. The density of Hemiptera spp .(384.33 ind/m

2

) was the highest and that of Corix sp. , Bithindae and

Isopteron isopteran

sp. (0.2 ind/m

2

each) was the lowest.The aquatic flora collected and identified during

thestudy period are Lidwigia agscendens, Nymphoids sp.,Hydrilla sp., Ceratophyllum sp. Trapa sp.,

Potamogetom nata ns, Pistia sp.

and Hygorhyza sp. Protection of thesewater sources and their effective sustainableman

agement are allcritical strategies in maintaining and improving water quality.

Conclusion
The present study disclosed

the physicochemical contamination in the lake. All the parameters werewithin the WHO guideline value except phosphateand

dissolved oxygen. Water depth varies form 1-4m. High phosphate level indicates the lake ishypertrophic. Dissolved oxygen is low

ranging between 5.27-6.56 mg/l. The presence of highdensity of Hemiptera (384.23 ind/m
2

) andEphimeripter ae (273.66 ind/m

2

) indicted that wateris polluted due to high nutrient deposition

fromdecaying of aquatic flora which were abundant andfrom the surrounding area.
Diwakar
et al.

23

Banko Janakari, Special IssueDiwakar

et al.

Acknowledgem ents
Acknowledgeme nts are due to Central

Departmentof Environmental Science, Kirtipur for the laboratory faciliti es and instruments provided for this work. Wewould

like to thank people around Ghodaghodi lakewho helped us during water sampling in theirlocalities.

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