Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
Volume 192, Issue 8, Pages -Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-08456-2
Keywords
River Ganges; Nutrients; Sewage; Eutrophication; 16S rRNA sequencing; Flow cytometry
Categories
Funding
- Natural Environment Research Council as part of the SUNRISE programme delivering national capability [NE/R000131/1]
- Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur
- NERC [NE/R000131/1, bgs06003] Funding Source: UKRI
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The Ganga River is facing mounting environmental pressures due to rapidly increasing human population, urbanisation, industrialisation and agricultural intensification, resulting in worsening water quality, ecological status and impacts on human health. A combined inorganic chemical, algal and bacterial survey (using flow cytometry and 16S rRNA gene sequencing) along the upper and middle Ganga (from the Himalayan foothills to Kanpur) was conducted under pre-monsoon conditions. The upper Ganga had total phosphorus (TP) and total dissolved nitrogen concentrations of less than 100 mu g l(-1)and 1.0 mg l(-1), but water quality declined at Kannauj (TP = 420 mu g l(-1)) due to major nutrient pollution inputs from human-impacted tributaries (principally the Ramganga and Kali Rivers). The phosphorus and nitrogen loads in these two tributaries and the Yamuna were dominated by soluble reactive phosphorus and ammonium, with high bacterial loads and large numbers of taxa indicative of pathogen and faecal organisms, strongly suggesting sewage pollution sources. The high nutrient concentrations, low flows, warm water and high solar radiation resulted in major algal blooms in the Kali and Ramganga, which greatly impacted the Ganga. Microbial communities were dominated by members of the Phylum Proteobacteria, Bacteriodetes and Cyanobacteria, with communities showing a clear upstream to downstream transition in community composition. To improve the water quality of the middle Ganga, and decrease ecological and human health risks, future mitigation must reduce urban wastewater inputs in the urbanised tributaries of the Ramganga, Kali and Yamuna Rivers.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available