Habitat For Aquatic Life Research Articles

Exploring Water Quality and Toxicity: An Analysis of Cadmium and Lead Concentration in the Parañaque River

Rivers provide vital environmental functions, including transportation, irrigation, water supply, flood control, and habitat for aquatic life. Water contamination, resulting in poor water quality, is a pressing issue affecting communities’ health, safety, and environment worldwide, leading to health issues. This research study aimed to monitor the water quality of the Parañaque River and the potential toxicity of heavy metal concentrations, specifically Cadmium and Lead, from September to October 2022. Surface water samples were taken to assess the heavy metals’ concentration levels and water quality parameters: color, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total dissolved solids (TDS), and total suspended solids (TSS). The collection of water samples followed the standard method for surface water sampling listed in the Water Quality Monitoring Manual Volume 1 of Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB). The collected data were compared using descriptive statistics to the established water quality standards of DENR Administrative Order No. 2016-08. The analyses used a significance level of 0.05 or 5%. ANOVA and Kruskal Wallis were used to compare the sampling locations that showed no significant difference in the water quality of the three sampling sites at Parañaque River. Paired T-Test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test were used to compare the difference in the time of water sampling. The results showed a significant difference for all parameters between morning and afternoon sampling except DO, TSS, and TDS. The Parañaque River’s water quality, heavily polluted with domestic and industrial waste, bacteria, and other microorganisms, failed to meet DENR’s standards for Class C water, thus indicating its poor condition.

A Review on Factors to be Incorporated in Water Quality Study

Water quality issues had been the main concern in worldwide as water resource keeps being polluted. River acts as the main source of drinking water, habitat for aquatic life, agriculture and industry. Poor in water quality led to the increase n water treatment expenses, water scarcity and affect health. River pollution is caused by industrial discharge, sewage and wastewater, chemical fertilizers and pesticides and mining activities. This paper aims to review and comments on factors to be incorporated in water quality study. Water quality index and pollutants are found to be the critical factors. USA, Canada, Iraq, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia used different parameters in calculating WQI. The parameters being considered in the WQI are then classified the river according to their classes and usage. Department of Environment (DOE) Malaysia has highlighted three main pollutants in water quality study which are Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3N) and Suspended Solid (SS) due to their great influence on WQI calculation. However, standard treated water quality in Malaysia is still based on Environmental Quality Act, 1974 which is nearly 50 years ago. Emerging pollutants which are mainly organic compounds present as pharmaceuticals and personal care products are found in water resources nowadays and the treatment should be improvised along time. Some modification of class on usage of water as irrigation should be considered and the relevant of considering two oxygen demands in calculating WQI (BOD and COD).

An Assessment of Physico-chemical Characteristics of Charan Beel, a Freshwater Wetland in Morigaon District, Assam, India

Wetlands are one of the earth’s most important ecosystem which provides food and habitat for aquatic life. Charan beel is an oxbow shaped wetland, situated in the district of Morigaon, Assam. The fresh water, perennial, large, lentic water bodies are popularly known as ‘Beel’ in Assam. Determination of land use and land cover changes in the wetland was done by using Remote Sensing and GIS. Buffer operation of the wetland was done for two kilometers to assess the land use change in and around the beel for 1998, 2008 and 2018. Eight land use and land cover types were identified using a handheld GPS receiver. The main objective of this paper is to determine the various physico-chemical parameters of Charan beel like water temperature, PH, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, turbidity, free carbon dioxide, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The minimum and maximum values, mean values, standard deviations along with the Karl Pearson’s correlation coefficients were also calculated and the results indicate significant positive and negative relationships among the different physico-chemical parameters. The high value of PH and dissolved oxygen obtained during the winter season and showed the inverse relation with temperature, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, turbidity, free carbon dioxide, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand. The maximum value of temperature, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, turbidity, biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand found in the Monsoon. The study revealed that the water quality is rich in total dissolved solids, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content which indicates that the wetland is moderately eutrophicated.

The AKOBEN programme as a tool towards responsible gold mining in Ghana, business as usual or a commitment towards sustainable development

The AKOBEN Programme, an environmental performance rating and disclosure initiative that show the environmental performance of gold mining firms with reference to their daily activities post environmental impact assessment and issuance of an environmental permit was introduced in Ghana to serve as a monitoring and verification tool towards environmental compliance and responsible mining. As to whether the AKOBEN Programme is enhancing the environment and or safeguarding public health in Ghana needs to be investigated. A systematic multi-methods environmental audit approach comprising of comparative analysis, time series analysis, air and water quality indices were used within the framework of the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response to answer the questions what is happening to the environment and what the consequences for the environment and humanity are. The quality and suitability of River Kwabrafo as a habitat for aquatic life, for agricultural, recreational and drinking purposes pre and post AKOBEN Programme introduction as well as the quality of agricultural soils and river sediments in gold mining communities was determined. The study revealed that the AKOBEN Programme rates gold mining firms based on variable-by-variable concentrations of toxic water pollutants such as As, Cd, Hg, CN and non-toxic water pollutants such as pH, suspended solids, dissolved solids and electrical conductivity without taking into account the cumulative effect of the pollutants and the various uses of water. Results on the quality of River Kwabrafo based on the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index confirmed no differences in water quality concerning use for agriculture, recreation, drinking and as a habitat for aquatic life before and after the introduction of the AKOBEN Programme. The study also revealed the quality of air at Anyinam to be acceptable with reference to PM10 and unhealthy with reference to total suspended particulate (TSP). The AKOBEN Programme failed to delineate TSP into oxides of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methyl mercury and oxides of sulphur for which reason the impacts of greenhouse gases and methyl mercury on the Obuasi Municipality could not be investigated under the AKOBEN Programme. Mean arsenic concentrations for all study sites exceeded the arsenic reference for Ghana with significant differences existing between mean soil Cd and Hg levels at AKOBEN sites, Non-AKOBEN sites and Control sites. This study will not only elucidate the environmental and health problems associated with gold mining operations at AKOBEN and Non-AKOBEN sites in Ghana, but will also present complex water quality data into simple communication format for easy understanding to policy makers and non-expert audience.

Spatial characterization, risk assessment, and statistical source identification of the dissolved trace elements in the Ganjiang River-feeding tributary of the Poyang Lake, China.

Surface water samples were collected from 20 sampling sites throughout the Ganjiang River during pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons, and the concentrations of dissolved trace elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the spatial and seasonal variations, risk assessment, source identification, and categorization for risk area. The result demonstrated that concentrations of the elements exhibited significant seasonality. The high total element concentrations were detected at sites close to the intensive mining and urban activities. The concentrations of the elements were under the permissible limits as prescribed by related standards with a few exceptions. The most of heavy metal pollution index (HPI) values were lower than the critical index limit, indicating the basically clean water used as habitat for aquatic life. As was identified as the priority pollutant of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic concerns, and the inhabitants ingesting the surface water at particular site might be subjected to the integrated health risks for exposure to the mixed trace elements. Multivariate statistical analyses confirmed that Zn, As, Cd, and Tl were derived from mining and urban activities; V, Cd, and Pb exhibited mixed origin; and Co, Ni, and Cu mainly resulted from natural processes. Three categorized risk areas corresponded to high, moderate, and low risks, respectively. As a whole, the upstream of the Ganjiang River was identified as the high-risk area relatively.

Disappearing headwaters: patterns of stream burial due to urbanization

Headwater streams provide important ecosystem services, including clean drinking water, habitat for aquatic life, and rapid processing and uptake of nutrients, which can reduce delivery of nitrogen and phosphorus to downstream coastal waters. Despite their importance to ecosystem functioning, very little research has addressed the extent to which headwater streams are buried beneath the land surface during urbanization. We measured the occurrence of stream burial within a major tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, for streams with catchment areas ranging from 10 ha to 104 ha. We used hydrologic modeling to identify where streams should be and then calibrated a map of impervious surface area, using high-resolution aerial photography to build a stream channel decision-tree classification. We found that 20% of all streams were buried, with streams in low-residential and suburban areas outside Baltimore City exhibiting 19% burial rates. Smaller headwater streams were more extensively buried than larger streams, a...

Integrated physical and ecological management of the East River

We present an independent assessment of the health and water sustainability of the East River (Dongjiang) in South China, which is the source of nearly 80% of Hong Kong's water supply. Field measurements show that the water quality in the upper and middle reaches is generally good and well exceeds the drinking quality standard, with high bio-diversity. The streamflow of the East River Basin is satisfactorily simulated using both the distributed MIKE-SHE model and the lumped HSPF model. With an average streamflow of 760 m3/s, the River is able to satisfy the current water demand. Using the HSPF model, the water quality is found to have deteriorated in recent years. In addition to water supply, the River also supports a variety of needs such as hydro-power generation, waste assimilation, navigation, habitat for aquatic life, and expulsion of sea water intrusion. Using the projected need of 150 m3/s for water supply, the instream flow requirement based on hydrological and water quality simulation is estimated to be 467 m3/s in 2010. This suggests that the water sustainability of the East River requires alternative strategies, which may include integrated water resources management, provision of better wastewater treatment, and water and soil conservation.

EFFECTS OF FLOOD CONTROL VEGETATION AND MAIN CHANNEL ALIGNMENT ON FLOOD CONTROL

Riparian vegetation sometimes causes serious rise of flood water level. Therefore, a part or all of vegetation have been cut and replaced by revetment works to protect the river bank. But vegetation plays an important role on river environment such as providing the natural state, habitat for aquatic life and riverscape.At present, we have no standards for judgment about safety and conservation roles of vegetation.In this paper, we had experiment using meandering compound channel with various phases and sinuosities, where at first, we investigated in detail about the effect for flood flow by the existence of vegetation along the main channel. Next, we observed the variation of structure of flood flow when a part of vegetation was cut and protected.