Water Quality of Harike Wetland (Punjab) and its Catchment Area

Abstract

Wetlands are widely known as bio-geographical supermarkets. These fragile ecosystems support a wide range of fauna and flora and provide goods and services to society. At present, these ecosystems are diminishing and deteriorating due to various land use activities. To examine the character of wetland ecosystems, the present study deals with the Harike wetland of Punjab and its catchment area. In the present study, all the sites are found to be in the permissible limit, except for turbidity. It recorded beyond the permissible limit at all the sites during pre-monsoon season. Site 3 and 4 are affected by EC and TDS as these are situated near the settlements. These settlements are the main source of various point and nonpoint pollution sources. Site 3 is more affected among all sites. It is located in an urban area, which is the main source of industrial effluents, municipal waste, and agricultural runoff. The first four sites are more affected by pollution, are situated on the Sutlej river. The pre-monsoon data show that the Sutlej river and Harike wetland are more polluted than the Beas river. Major industrial towns are located on river Sutlej river discharges their unpredictable pollutants in Sutlej river contributing significantly to the pollution of the Harike wetland. Site 3 is the worst-affected among all the sites, located at Phillaur. Pre-monsoonal sites are more affected than post-monsoonal sites. Rainfall plays an important role in dilution. The water of post-monsoon season is much clearer than compared to pre-monsoon season.