Abstract
Satopanth Lake is a glacial lake, located at an altitude of 4600 m above sea level in Garhwal Himalaya of Uttarakhand state in India where an attempt was made to assess the water quality. A total of sixteen physico-chemical parameters including temperature, hardness, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, calcium, magnesium, chlorides, nitrates, sulphates and phosphates were recorded during 2014 and 2015 between June and August in ice-free period. The mean values of pH ranged from 6.85 to 7.10; water temperature fluctuated from 0.1 to 0.3 °C; dissolved oxygen varied from 5.90 to 6.0 mg.L−1; free CO2 varied from 8.40 to 8.60 mg.L−1; total dissolved solids varied from 88.0 to 89.5 mg.L−1; calcium from 7.88 to 7.95 mg.L−1; magnesium from 0.53 to 0.66 mg.L−1. All the physico-chemical values were within the prescribed WHO/BIS limit for drinking water. Water Quality Index (WQI) calculated based on these parameters also revealed the excellent quality of lake water.
Highlights
On the planet Earth, mountains cover approximately onequarter land surface, which provides home for about 12% of the global human population
A very little variation (0.1 to 0.3 °C) in the mean value of water temperature of Satopanth Lake was observed during the study period
The temperature of the surface water was about 13 to 14 °C recorded from Ximencuo, a typical glacial lake on the eastern Qinghai–Tibetan plateau
Summary
On the planet Earth, mountains cover approximately onequarter land surface, which provides home for about 12% of the global human population. The lakes present above 3500 m altitude are considered to be evolved due to retreat of glaciers and are classified as glacial lakes (WWF 2005). These lakes are a good and precious source of clean and fresh water. Most of these lakes are small and shallow in size, but they tend to connect to each other and grow into a large conterminous lake within the glacier ice. The Garhwal Himalaya has several glacier-fed lakes or glacial lakes above an altitude of more than 3,500 m above m.s.l. The Garhwal Himalaya has several glacier-fed lakes or glacial lakes above an altitude of more than 3,500 m above m.s.l These glacier-fed lakes are the main source of drinking water for sages, trekkers, wild animals and local inhabitants.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
