Water quality assessment using macroinvertebrates as indicator in sultanabad stream (Nallah), Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Paper Details
Water quality assessment using macroinvertebrates as indicator in sultanabad stream (Nallah), Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Abstract
This preliminary research was to evaluate the water quality assessment through macro invertebrates and selected physio-chemical parameters in Sultanabad Stream (Nallah in Urdu). Samples were collected from six different locations started from upstream to the downstream of the Stream (Nallah). Sampling was done using standard methods such as Macroinvertebrates collection through Kick net having 500um mesh size and selected physio-chemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen (DO), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), temperature and pH. Most of the physio-chemical parameters were measured using multi parameter probe at the sampling occasion except Electrical Conductivity (EC), Nitrites and Nitrates which were measured using Conductivity meter and nitrate strips in the laboratory respectively. A total of 718 macro invertebrates were recorded comprising of Chironomidae (Diptera) (78%) being most dominant group, Ephemeroptera (17%), Plecoptera (4%) and Trichoptera (1%). Sensitive group of macro invertebrates like Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera and Plecoptera were abundant at upstream and at junction point as compare to other locations of the Stream, indicating good water quality at upstream. One way ANOVA showed significant difference of most of water quality parameters with respect to various locations. Result of overall mean physio-chemical properties of the stream were like alkaline pH (7.4), low temperature ( 8.9 oC), high DO (10 mg/l ), low TDS (284.4 mg/l ), low nitrites ( 0.88 mg/l) and nitrates (8.8 mg/l) and low EC ( 467 µS/cm).
Allan JD. 1995. Stream Ecology. Structure and function of running waters Chapman & Hall. Boston, Massachusetts, USA , 388 pp.
APHA. 1992. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 18th ed. American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.
Barbour MT, Gerritsen J, Snyder D, Stribling JB. 1999. Revision to the rapid bioassessment protocols for streams and wadeable rivers: periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. EPA/841-D-97-002.Office of Water, US Environ-mental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Beasley G, Kneale P. 2003. Investigating the influence of heavy metals on macroinvertebrate assemblages using Partial Canonical Correspondence Analysis (pCCA). Hydrology and Earth Systems Sciences 7, 221-233. DOI: 10.5194/hess-7-221-2003
Dahl J, Johnson RK, Sandin L. 2004. Detection of organic pollution of streams in southern Sweden using benthic macro invertebrates. Hydrobiologia 516, 161-172. DOI 10.1023/B:HYDR.0000025264.35531.cb
Dodson SI. 2001. Zooplankton communities of restored depressional wetlands in Wisconsin USA. Wetlands 21, 292–300. DOI 10.1672/0277-5212 (2001) 021 [0292:ZCORDW] 2.0.CO;2
García-Criado F, Fernández Aláez C, Fernández Aláez M. 1999. Environmental variables influencing the distribution of Hydraenidae and Elmidae assemblages (Coleoptera) in a moderately-polluted river basin in north-western Spain. European Journal of Entomology 96, 37-44. http://www.eje.cz/pdfs/eje/1999/01/08.pdf
Gerritson J, Carlson RE, Dycus DE, Faulkner C, Gibson GR, Harcum J, Markowitz SA. 1998. Lake and reservoir bio assessment and bio criteria: technical guidance document. USEPA Office of Water. EPA 841-B-98-007.
Hall LW, Author Reprint Author Hall LW. 2006. Characterization of benthic communities and physical habitat in the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced Rivers, California. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 115, 223 – 264. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10661-006-6553-5
Jha B, Waidbacher H, Sharma S, Straif M. 2010. Study of substrate and physico-chemical base classification of the rivers of Nepal, Geo-Spatial Information Science 13, 70–76. DOI: 10.1007/s11806-010-0126-z
Kasangaki A, Babaasa D, Efitre J, McNeilage A, Bitariho R. 2006. Links between anthropogenic perturbations and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in Afromontane forest streams in Uganda. Hydrobiologia 563, 231-245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-0009-8
King JM, Schael DM. 2001. Assessing the ecological relevance of a spatially-nested geomorphological hierarachy for river management. WRC Report NO 754/1/01 FRESHWATER Research unit,University of Cape Town,Cape Town.
Mason CF. 2002. Biology of Freshwater Pollution, Fourth Edition. Prentice Hall, London.
Pakistan Wetlands Programme. 2008. FAQs, Available at: www.pakistanwetlands.org, Retrieved on; 11th November 2008.
Raunio J, Paavola R, Muotka T. 2007. Effects of emergence phenology, taxa tolerance and taxonomic resolution on the use of the Chironimid Pupal Exuvial Technique in river biomonitoring. Freshwater Biology 52, 165 – 176. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01670.x
Rosenberg DM, Resh VH. 1993. Freshwater biomonitoring and macrobenthic invertebrates. Chapman and Hall, London; 488pp.
Ruffo S, Stoch F. (eds.). 2005. Checklist e distribuzione della fauna italiana. Memorie del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona, 2.serie, Sezione Scienze della Vita 16.
Shrestha TK. 1990. Resource ecology of the Himalayan waters: a case study of ecology, biology and management strategy of freshwaters of Nepal, Curriculum Development Center, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, available at http://books.google.com/books?id=6o6AFgNoeGwC &printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r& cad=0#v=onepage&q=6000&f=false.
Simaika JP, Samways MJ. 2009. An easy-to use index of ecological integrity for prioritising freshwater sites and for assessing habitat quality. Biodiversity and Conservation 18, 1171 – 1185. DOI 10.1007/s10531-008-9484-3
Vermeulen AC. 1995. Elaborating chironomid deformities as bioindicators of toxic sediment stress: the potential application of mixture toxicity concepts. Annales Zoologici Fennici 32, 265-285
Voshell JR, Jr, Smith, EP, Evans SK, Hudy M. 1997. Effective and scientifically sound bio assessment; opinions and corroboration from academe. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment 3, 941:954. DOI: 10.1080/10807039709383738
WWF Pakistan. 2012. Multi-hazard Risk Assessment and Land Use Planning for Sultanabad Village in Gilgit, Pakistan. WWF-Pakistan, Gilgit.
Zwick P. 1992. Stream habitat fragmentation, a threat to biodiversity. Biodiversity and conservation 1, 80-97. DOI: 10.1007/BF00731036
Farida Begum, Rubina, Karamat Ali, Akbar Khan, Iqtidar Hussain, Sultan Ishaq, Salar Ali, 2014. Water quality assessment using macroinvertebrates as indicator in sultanabad stream (Nallah), Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. J. Biodiv. Environ. Sci., 5(4), 564-572.
Copyright © 2014 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.