Wetlands In India Research Articles

Modern pollen deposition in wetlands of Majuli Island and its implication to decipher palaeoflood episodes in northeast India

The present study is the first attempt from any Indian wetland, where palynological data is assessed to understand the flooding histories of the Sakali and Duboi wetlands in the Majuli River Island, a part of the Indo-Burma hotspot. Palynological analyses of surface soil samples from these wetlands were carried out in order to explore the flooding histories of this island. The presence of extra-local taxa such as Rhododendron, Tsuga and Castanopsis, in the Sakali wetland is strongly suggestive of river water transportation and flooding on the Majuli Island in the recent past. In contrast, dominance of local arboreal taxa and low abundance or absence of extra-local pollen taxa in the Duboi wetland does not indicate flooding. Correspondence analysis (CA) was applied on the present dataset to reveal possible correlations between the surface samples of the wetlands and the major group of palynotaxa. The CA successfully discriminated the samples from the two wetlands and also marked strong correlations between flood indicators extra-local taxa with the samples of the Sakali wetland and local arboreal elements with the Duboi samples. The present result will not only provide a baseline for future palaeovegetation and palaeoclimate reconstructions, but will also help in deciphering palaeoflood episodes from these wetlands.

Water Spread Area Dynamic of Chilika Lake: A Geospatial Approach

Chilika lake is the largest lagoon in Asia on the east coast peninsular India covering about hundred thousand hectares of land, one among six Indian wetlands declared under the Ramsar convention in 1982. Lake shrinkage is another important ecological transformation. This may be due to several factors, both natural and human. The study area is Chilika Lake which is located at 19°27’58.081”N–19°53’24.438”N latitude and 85°6’5.301”E–85°40’36.149”E longitude on the east-coast of the state of Odisha, India. The objective is to prepare a database of the pre and post monsoon period water spread area of the lake from time series satellite imageries. The geospatial technique has emerged as the most important tool of a geographer to handle the spatio-temporal data. It is now widely used around the world to analyse physical as well as cultural geographical elements. The output will be utilized in several regional and micro level planning, monitoring and management for community development. Keywords: Ecosystem, spatio-temporal, sustainability, time series Cite this Article Jajnaseni Rout, Pattnaik AK, Sasmita Lenka et al . Water Spread Area Dynamic of Chilika Lake: A Geospatial Approach. Journal of Remote Sensing & GIS. 2017; 8(3): 17–21p.

Influence Individuals, communities and society to manage Wetland Environment

Wetlands perform numerous valuable functions such as recycle nutrients, purify water, attenuate floods, maintain stream flow, recharge ground water, and also serve in providing drinking water source, fish, fodder, fuel, recreation to the society. The interaction of man with wetlands during the last few decades has been a concern largely due to land loss – accompanied by intensified industrial, commercial, and residential development further leading to pollution of wetlands by domestic, industrial sewage, and agricultural runoffs- as fertilizers, insecticides. The fact that wetland values are overlooked has resulted in threat to the source of these benefits South Indian wetlands are being lost on account of various anthropogenic activities .

ASSESSMENT OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION & RESTORATION OF KHAJJIAR WETLAND, CHAMBA (H.P)

The present study was undertaken from 2009 to 2011 in order to understand the current status of wetlands in district Chamba. The study was conducted in Khajjiar wetland and its catchments area for biodiversity. Repeated visits were made to the field to record the flora and vegetation of the area. In India, majority of the wetlands are badly affected and some of them are even highly threatened or on the verge of extinction mainly due to anthropogenic interventions. The remaining wetlands also threatened by air and water pollutants, and hydrologic alterations. Natural wetlands in India consist of high altitude Himalayan lakes. According to International importance, there are 25 Ramsar sites in India out of them 3 wetlands in the State of Himachal Pradesh have been declared as wetlands of international importance. The Khajjiar wetland is one of important lake although it is not an international importance. It is important because of socio-cultural and ecological values and services it provides. Presently lake is under threat due to anthropogenic pressures. The problem is further accentuated because of loss of water quality data, ecological services, information etc. Thus it is necessary to reclaim and develop the wetlands for its optimum potential use, for this a reliable and accurate data base is required. Therefore, present study endeavour aimed to generate data base in terms of socio-cultural and ecological aspects i.e. physical aspects / land use, extent of water spread and its water quality, vegetation status of catchments area and surrounding of lake and to determine the importance of these wetlands for the local people and to give an indication of the distribution of the benefits among various stakeholders.

Traditional fishing activities enhance the abundance of selected waterbird species in a wetland in India

BackgroundWaterbirds are globally declining as a result of habitat loss, alteration or degradation. Fishing activities may affect waterbird distribution, abundance and diversity, and traditional fishing activities often enhance waterbird abundance. We tested this hypothesis by studying the abundance and diversity of selected common waterbird species in the Kadalundi–Vallikkunnu Community Reserve, a globally significant wetland in southwestern India in relation to fishing activities.MethodsWe monitored waterbird abundance four times a month from 2012 to 2015 using direct observation method during low tide. Traditional bamboo fish traps were deployed during the first and third weeks of each month. ANOVAs (one-way and multi-way) were used to examine how waterbird counts diversity varied in relation to years, seasons and period of fishing traps. Additionally we conducted a linear regression to examine the relationship between fish occurrence and waterbird counts and diversity.ResultsWaterbird counts varied with years and seasons, with the maximum counts being recorded during the post-monsoon (winter). Individual species varied in their responses to trap deployment. Small waterbird species usually forage in shallow shorelines, increased during trap deployment whereas the larger waterbirds were not affected by trap deployment because they tend to hunt in deeper waters. The total fish captured was an important predictor of both waterbird abundance and diversity.ConclusionIn this study we documented a positive association between traditional fish trap deployment and waterbird counts and diversity. Providing high quality habitats for waterbirds as well as effective sustainable livelihoods through traditional fisheries is a critical management issue.

Socioeconomic status of riverine fisher communities in India

The inland traditional fishers, such as those from riverine, estuarine, reservoirs, and wetlands of India, are primarily dependent on natural waters for their livelihoods. Governments at various levels have made several efforts, including decentralization of management rights, promotion of cooperatives and formation of self-help groups, to develop the fisheries. Despite these efforts, production from most of the culture-based inland fishery waters (particularly adopting fish stock enhancements) is below potential, as a vast gap is observed between the potential and existing fish production. There is immense potential for increasing the fishing effort, production and income. Capture fishery resources, particularly in the riverine fisheries, are declining due to resource degradation and excessive exploitation. The impact of fisheries developmental programmes instituted by government agencies like the National Fisheries Development Board are hardly recognised on fisheries communities due to the multiple-use common pool resource nature of the fishing resource. Comprehensive investigations on the socioeconomic status of riverine fisher communities are rare. The present investigation studies the socioeconomic conditions of riverine fisher communities in different regions of India. The study covered six states of five regions in India: Uttar Pradesh in the North; Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the South; Orissa and West Bengal in the East; Gujarat in the West; Assam in the northeastern region. The overall socioeconomic index results concluded that almost all the regions have achieved only 46% to 52% of the socioeconomic criteria studied. Institutional financial support for alternate income generation activities; organisation under self-help groups, and vocational training for fisherwomen to undertake alternate income-generating activities during the closed/off season are some of the suggestions resulting from the investigation.

English

A key to future sustenance of human societies lies in the sustainable management and wise use of Wetlands. Wetlands are frequently referred to as Kidneys of Landscape; are amongst the most productive ecosystems on the earth and any alterations might lead to changes in their bio-physical, socio-economic and climatic conditions. Due to various factors like rapid urbanization, industrialization and agricultural activities; Wetland ecosystems become the most threatened of all environmental resources on earth. The call for its protection gained in early 1960’s globally. However, in India, the momentum for its protection gained only in late 1980’s. In order to make effort to restore and protect such degraded Wetlands, its extensive study is required in terms of its ecological changes with its areal extent. There is a huge gap of scientific study about the Wetlands in India especially in this study region (Manipur) and eventually people could not recognise the importance of Wetland services given to mankind. Therefore, this study is aimed at reporting the status of Wetland exists in Manipur (a small state of North-Eastern India surrounded by hilly terrains) as a first step for further studies. The lack of scientific studies about the Wetlands in this particular study region is also reported in this paper.   Key words: Wetlands, Manipur, Sangai, status of wetlands, review, lakes, hilly terrains.

Total and methyl mercury in the water, sediment, and fishes of Vembanad, a tropical backwater system in India.

Mercury contamination in the water bodies of developing countries is a serious concern due to its toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation. Vembanad, a tropical backwater lake situated at the southwest coast of India, is the largest Ramsar site in southern India. The lake supports thousands of people directly and indirectly through its resources and ecosystem services. It is highly polluted with toxic pollutants such as heavy metals, as it receives effluent discharges from Kerala's major industrial zone. In the present study, water, pore water, sediment, and fish samples collected from Vembanad Lake were analysed for total mercury (THg) and methyl mercury (MHg) contents. The maximum concentrations of THg and MHg in surface water samples were31.8 and 0.21ng/L, respectively, and those in bottom water samples were 206 and 1.22ng/L, respectively. Maximum concentration of THg in surface sediment was observed during monsoon season (2850ng/g) followed by that in the pre-monsoon season (2730ng/g) and the post-monsoon season (2140ng/g). The highest sediment concentration of MHg (202.02ng/g) was obtained during monsoon season. The spatial variation in the mercury contamination clearly indicates that the industrial discharge into the Periyar River is a major reason for pollution in the lake. The mercury pollution was found to be much higher in Vembanad Lake than in other wetlands in India. The bioaccumulation was high in carnivorous fishes, followed by benthic carnivores. The THg limit in fish for human consumption (0.5mg/kg dry wt.) was exceeded for all fish species, except for Glossogobius guiris and Synaptura orientalis. The concentration of THg was five times higher in Megalops cyprinoides and four times higher in Gazza minuta. Significant variation was observed among species with different habits and habitats. Overall, risk assessment factors showed that the mercury levels in the edible fishes of Vembanad Lake can pose serious health impacts to the human population.

Integrating similarity analysis and ecosystem service value transfer: Results from a tropical coastal wetland in India

Policy demand for ecosystem service values in developing countries results in a growing use of value transfer techniques, even in the absence of primary valuations from highly comparable study sites. Current techniques provide limited guidance on how to quantitatively assess the similarity between study and policy sites and control for the effect thereof on transfer accuracy. This paper proposes a methodology for the estimation of a study-policy site similarity index and explores its application to the Akkulam-Veli wetland in Kerala, India. The use of empirical similarity weights in a meta-analytical transfer yields a narrower prediction interval for the policy site value estimate. Estimating the meta-regression model parameters on a subset of primary valuation studies with greater similarity to the policy site application is found to increase value transfer accuracy. The need for further systematic testing and potential implications of the proposed approach for value transfer practitioners are highlighted.

Natural Water Treatment Systems for Safe and Sustainable Water Supply in the Indian Context: Saph Pani

Natural Water Treatment Systems for Safe and Sustainable Water Supply in the Indian Context is based on the work from the Saph Pani project (Hindi word meaning potable water).The book aims to study and improve natural water treatment systems, such as River Bank Filtration (RBF), Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), and wetlands in India, building local and European expertise in this field. The project aims to enhance water resources and water supply, particularly in water stressed urban and peri urban areas in different parts of the Indian sub-continent. This project is co-funded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework (FP7) scheme of small or medium scale focused research projects for specific cooperation actions (SICA) dedicated to international cooperation partner countries.Natural Water Treatment Systems for Safe and Sustainable Water Supply in the Indian Context provides:an introduction to the concepts of natural water treatment systems (MAR, RBF, wetlands) at national and international levelknowledge of the basics of MAR, RBF and wetlands, methods and hydrogeological characterisationan insight into case studies in India and abroad.This book is a useful resource for teaching at Post Graduate level, for research and professional reference.First published 2016Revised edition with the addition of Chapter 19, 2016Original EditionISBN: 9781780407104 (Paperback)ISBN: 9781780407111 (eBook)This Revised EditionISBN: 9781780408392 (eBook)ISBN: 9781780408385 (Print)DOI: 10.2166/9781780408392

Geospatial Analysis of the Changing Environment of Kolleru Lake, the Largest Freshwater Wetland in India

Kolleru Lake, the largest freshwater wetland in India is highly degraded because of siltation, weed infestation and large-scale aquaculture encroachments. Restoration of the lake involves data on the original extent of this shrinking lake and on its extant condition. Previous studies indicated that the lake was a coastal lagoon abutting the Bay of Bengal during the mid-Holocene and later turned into a freshwater body as the seashore prograded 30 km and several rivulets continued to drain into the lake. However, the original extent of the lake is unknown. Mapping of geomorphic features from satellite images and facies recognition from the subsurface sediments recovered from 40 boreholes revealed that the lake initially extended over 1050 km2. Analysis of time series satellite images indicated that aquaculture activity was absent in 1977 in the 493 km2 designated Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary within the 5 ft (~1.5 m) contour but appeared in 12 % of the area in 1990 and expanded to 64 % by 2004. Despite the demolition of fishponds by the government during 2005–2006, they reappeared in 28 % of the sanctuary area by 2008 and further increased to 43 % by 2015, as encroachments continued unabated.

Implications of Institutional Vacuum in Wetland Conservation for Water Management

Wetlands are distinct ecological systems which provide numerous ecosystem services to human society and the environment. However, many of these important ecologically sensitive systems are threatened or are already lost, mainly due to anthropogenic pressures and land-use changes in their catchments. This article looks at the status of wetlands in India, discusses the existing legal and policy framework for wetland conservation, identifies the institutional vacuum leading to the loss of these freshwater ecosystems and assesses their implications for water management. The analysis indicates that it is difficult to estimate any sequential change in the overall wetland area by using estimates available from various wetland inventories since they all have used different methodologies and have considered different types of wetlands in their assessments. Further, deficient policy framework, poor implementation of existing policies and lack of interdisciplinary approach are the major institutional inadequacies in the approach to wetland conservation in India. As a result, various water management functions performed by wetlands, such as freshwater supplies, flood control, groundwater recharge and wastewater treatment, are under immense threat. Regulation of land-use changes in the catchment areas, pollution prevention and periodic assessment of water quality are suggested as major strategies to maintain the hydrological and ecological integrity of wetlands.

Intervention of Naraj Barrage: Its effects on sediment inflows into Chilika Lake, India

AbstractChilika Lake, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon, is located in the state of Odisha on the east coast of India. It was designated as a Ramsar site in 1981, being the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar convention. Siltation of the lake is become a major concern, because it is leading to various geomorphic changes that are affecting the shape and size of the lagoon, which receives a major silt load through the Daya and Bhargovi rivers (both being branches of the Mahanadi river) via the Kathajodi and Kuakhai rivers. The Naraj barrage was constructed at the mouth of the Kathajodi river to regulate its inflow, and also its silt load, into the lagoon. Two observatories are established in the Daya and Bhargovi rivers to determine the quantity of silt entering Chilika Lake through the rivers, with the bed load and suspended (total solids) being measured. Various effects of siltation in the lagoon because of the barrage are analysed in this study, to include the pre‐ and postconstruction situation. By considering different flood situations in the Mahanadi river, various alternate strategies for operation of the Naraj barrage were studied, with the goal of minimizing the siltation in Chilika Lake. These alternate operation strategies, and their potential effects on the inflow into the lagoon, are analysed and discussed in this report.

Status of wetlands in India: A review of extent, ecosystem benefits, threats and management strategies

Abstract Study region India. Study focus India has a wealth of wetland ecosystems that support diverse and unique habitats. These wetlands provide numerous ecological goods and services but are under tremendous stress due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and agricultural intensification, manifested by the shrinkage in their areal extent, and decline in the hydrological, economic and ecological functions they perform. This paper reviews the wetland wealth of India in terms of their geographic distribution and extent, ecosystem benefits they provide, and the various stresses they are exposed to. The paper also discusses the efforts at management of these fragile ecosystems, identifies the institutional vacuum and suggests priority area where immediate attention is required in order to formulate better conservation strategies for these productive systems. New hydrological insights for the region It has been found that management of wetlands has received inadequate attention in the national water sector agenda. As a result, many of the wetlands are subject to anthropogenic pressures, including land use changes in the catchment; pollution from industry and households; encroachments; tourism; and over exploitation of their natural resources. Further, majority of research on wetland management in India relates to the limnological aspects and ecological/environmental economics of wetland management. But, the physical (such as hydrological and land use changes in the catchment) and socio-economic processes leading to limnological changes have not been explored substantially.

Identification of potential wetlands in Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu, India

Wetland maps are prerequisites for wetland inventory, development, planning, management, protection, and restoration, for conservation of wetland-dependent flora, fauna and humans. It is estimated that 15.26 million hectares exists as wetlands in India according to Space Application Centre (SAC), pertaining to wetlands having more than 56 hectares area. Past research on wetland conservation in the country has shown that micro-wetlands (satellite wetlands) around a bigger wetland act as constellation of habitat mosaic for resident and migratory waterfowls. Often, the size of these micro-wetlands is much smaller than 50 hectares. Therefore, there is a great need to map such wetlands (smaller than 50 hectares). The Tiruchirappalli district, situated in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, is selected for the present investigation to identify the potential wetlands through geo-spatial technology (GIS & RS). All the wetlands within the Tiruchirappalli district have been demarcated from 1973 applying temporal remote sensing data. A total of 2399 wetlands of various size categories have been identified in the Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu, India. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ije.v3i1.9944 International Journal of Environment Vol.3(1) 2014: 78-84

Wetland assessment, monitoring and management in India using geospatial techniques

Satellite remote sensing and GIS have emerged as the most powerful tools for inventorying, monitoring and management of natural resources and environment. In the special context of wetland ecosystems, remotely sensed data from orbital platforms have been extensively used in India for the inventory, monitoring and preparation of action plans for conservation and management. First scientific inventory of wetlands in India was carried out in 1998 by Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad using indigenous IRS (Indian Remote Sensing Satellite) data of 1992–93 timeframe, which stimulated extensive use of geospatial techniques for wetland conservation and management. Subsequently, with advances in GIS, studies were carried out for development of Wetland Information System for a state (West Bengal) and for Loktak lake wetland (a Ramsar site) as a prelude to National Wetland Information System. Research has also been carried out for preparation of action plans especially for Ramsar sites in the country. In a novel research, use of the geospatial technology has also been demonstrated for biodiversity conservation using landscape ecological metrics. A country-wide estimate of emission of methane, a Green House Gas, from wetlands has also been made using MODIS data. Present article critically reviews the work carried out in India for wetland conservation and management using geospatial techniques.

Shorebird assemblages respond to anthropogenic stress by altering habitat use in a wetland in India

Shorebirds are globally experiencing declines due to habitat loss and anthropogenic disturbance. The Central Asian Flyway hosts significant shorebirds that winter in the Indian subcontinent. The current study examined the shorebird assemblages of Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve, an internationally important estuarine wetland in southwestern India, to determine changes in their assemblages in relation to habitat alterations. We conducted point counts from 2005 to 2012 in mudflats, mangroves, sandy beaches and shallow water areas in Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve. This study measured physicochemical variables as a proxy for anthropogenic change experienced as a result of rapidly increasing human populations combined with development. We examined rainfall data during the study period to determine associations with shorebird abundance. Stepwise linear regression showed that total nitrogen and rainfall were significantly related to shorebird abundance (bird count = 306 + 213 NO3 −—1.13 rainfall, F = 31.20, p < 0.001). High rainfall in a given year (one-way ANOVA F = 19.91, p < 0.001) and the previous year resulted in lower shorebird counts (one-way ANOVA F = 16.01, p < 0.001). Shorebirds declined during the study period and habitat use shifted significantly from mangroves and mudflats to sandy beaches (one-way ANOVA, F = 2.18, p = 0.034). Shorebirds also exhibited a gradual decline in diversity. We conclude that altered nutrient content in this wetland resulted in changes in the prey base in the four habitat types. Shorebirds responded to these changes by increasing the use of less preferred habitat (sandy beaches). The anthropogenic influences on the wetland are large (waste disposal, sand mining, disturbance due to development) and continued pressure may result in further decline of shorebird assemblages. The results from this study indicate that certain anthropogenic disturbances, such as waste disposal and sand mining, should be reduced to maintain and improve the integrity of this wetland.

Thecamoebians from Late Permian Gondwana sediments of peninsular India

The evolutionary history of thecamoebians (testate amoebae) extends back to the Neoproterozoic Era. However, until now, these have had a restricted, discontinuous and modest record across the world. The studied sediment of Raniganj Formation (Godavari Graben), Andhra Pradesh, India has been assigned as Late Permian on the basis of co-occurring age-diagnostic Late Permian palynomorphs. About sixteen thecamoebian species and one taxon incertae sedis have been recorded here in the palynological slides on the basis of shell morphology and morphometry. Out of these, five belong to the family Arcellidae, seven to Centropyxidae, two to Trigonopyxidae, one to Difflugiidae, one to Plagiopyxidae, and one is regarded incertae sedis. The morphometric characteristics of fossil forms resemble their corresponding extant species studied from ecologically diverse fresh water wetlands in India. In general, the ratio of shell diameter and aperture diameter of Late Permian fossil and extant specimens show significant correlation in all the studied species. Except that, the ratio of shell length and breadth is the distinguishing feature between Centropyxis aerophila and C. aerophila ‘sylvatica’, rather than the ratio of shell length and longest diameter of the shell aperture in both fossil and extant forms. The study elucidates the minimal morphological evolution in thecamoebians and their survival during mass extinction periods and stressful environmental conditions over the geological timescale.

Heavy Metal Concentration in Surface Water of East Kolkata Wetland

The East Calcutta Wetlands in India present a somewhat distinctive case where untreated sewage water from the city of Kolkata positioned upstream has been used for decades in downstream agriculture and fisheries. East kolkata wetland has high ecological significance also as it has been a home for other combine biodiversities. This wetland is highly polluted due to the rapid industrialization, urbanization and dumping of solid waste. The water quality of the East Kolkata wetland has been studied with reference to toxic heavy metals. The metals analyzed include lead, chromium, mercury, nickel and cadmium. The heavy metal analysis in surface waters were in the following range; Cd: 1.19 mg l-1, Ni: 7mg l-1, Pb: 0.15 mg l-1, and Cr: 0.09mg l-1 Hg: BDL respectively. The dominance of various heavy metals in the surface waters of the East Kolkata Wetland various anthropogenic activities. Most of the metal ions were in higher concentration compared to the standards. It has been observed that the quality of the surface water is not safe for aquatic and domestic life, hence necessary management actions should be taken to control the quality of the surface water.

Calendar-effects and temperature-impacts in migratory waterbirds at three tropical Indian wetlands

We analysed the relationships of the arrival and departure, abundance and assemblages of 13 migratory waterbirds in three tropical wintering abodes, with calendar-effect and air temperature. The birds arrive at the wetlands in October–November and most of the long-distance migrants spent 4–5 months, while the short-distance local migrants stayed there for almost 7 months. Much like the onset of autumn migration from the breeding ground, the period of arrival at these wintering abodes was influenced by photoperiod confounded with other calendar-date effects. There was a significant negative relationship between this variable and the abundance of all the 13 species and their maximum abundances corresponded closely with the shortest day length. The temperature tended to fine-tune the migration schedule. The migration phenology and abundances of all the species exhibited strong negative correlations with this environmental variable and maximum abundances were observed during the middle of January, which experienced the coldest temperatures of the region. The long-distance migrants left the wetlands earlier than the short-distance local migrants. Both the photoperiod confounded with other calendar-date effects and temperature affected dissolved oxygen concentration and phytoplanktonic productivity of the wetlands, which influenced the waterbirds. Dissolved oxygen concentration affected the abundances of most of these waterbirds probably through its impact on their food resources. Phytoplanktonic productivity might also influence overall food supply to the waterbirds.