Physico-chemical Characterization of Gosainkunda Lake

Abstract

High altitude lakes are very sensitive to climate change due to their small catchment area, limited vegetation cover, surface water with low nutrients, and thin soil and low bedrock weathering rates. The present study was focused on high altitude Himalayan Lake Gosainkunda, situated at an elevation of 4300 m in the Langtang National Park, and carried out during the post- monsoon season (October) in 2010. The main aim of the study was to assess the water quality quantitatively considering the anthropogenic as well as natural impacts in the lake. The water samples were collected at six different sites to represent entirely the quality of the lake. The sampling sites were systematically designated as the inlet, outlet, human influence site, littoral zone, middle (central) and the deepest part of the lake. Some major cations (Ca++, Mg++, Na+ & K+) and anions (Cl-, SO4 — & HCO3 -) were analyzed; the cation type is dominated by Ca++ (64%) while the anions are dominated by Cl- (49%). Among the trace elements (Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb & As), except for Al and Fe, all others were found below the detection limit. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 13, No. 1 (2012) 107-114 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v13i1.7449