scholarly journals Citizen Science Tools Reveal Changes in Estuarine Water Quality Following Demolition of Buildings

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1683
Author(s):  
Nandini Menon ◽  
Grinson George ◽  
Rajamohananpillai Ranith ◽  
Velakandy Sajin ◽  
Shreya Murali ◽  
...  

Turbidity and water colour are two easily measurable properties used to monitor pollution. Here, we highlight the utility of a low-cost device—3D printed, hand-held Mini Secchi disk (3DMSD) with Forel-Ule (FU) colour scale sticker on its outer casing—in combination with a mobile phone application (‘TurbAqua’) that was provided to laymen for assessing the water quality of a shallow lake region after demolition of four high-rise buildings on the shores of the lake. The demolition of the buildings in January 2020 on the banks of a tropical estuary—Vembanad Lake (a Ramsar site) in southern India—for violation of Indian Coastal Regulation Zone norms created public uproar, owing to the consequences of subsequent air and water pollution. Measurements of Secchi depth and water colour using the 3DMSD along with measurements of other important water quality variables such as temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO) using portable instruments were taken for a duration of five weeks after the demolition to assess the changes in water quality. Paired t-test analyses of variations in water quality variables between the second week of demolition and consecutive weeks up to the fifth week showed that there were significant increases in pH, dissolved oxygen, and Secchi depth over time, i.e., the impact of demolition waste on the Vembanad Lake water quality was found to be relatively short-lived, with water clarity, colour, and DO returning to levels typical of that period of year within 4–5 weeks. With increasing duration after demolition, there was a general decrease in the FU colour index to 17 at most stations, but it did not drop to 15 or below, i.e., towards green or blue colour indicating clearer waters, during the sampling period. There was no significant change in salinity from the second week to the fifth week after demolition, suggesting little influence of other factors (e.g., precipitation or changes in tidal currents) on the inferred impact of demolition waste. Comparison with pre-demolition conditions in the previous year (2019) showed that the relative changes in DO, Secchi depth, and pH were very high in 2020, clearly depicting the impact of demolition waste on the water quality of the lake. Match-ups of the turbidity of the water column immediately before and after the demolition using Sentinel 2 data were in good agreement with the in situ data collected. Our study highlights the power of citizen science tools in monitoring lakes and managing water resources and articulates how these activities provide support to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets on Health (Goal 3), Water quality (Goal 6), and Life under the water (Goal 14).

In order to protect the quality of the environment and human health, freshwater assets are tremendously important in various ways. To ensure the freshwater resources in the Chittagong region of Bangladesh, we have studied the water quality parameters of Kaptai and Foy’s Lake. This research has done based on the essential surface water standard parameters such as pH, temperature, DO, BOD, COD, TDS, TSS, TS, EC, hardness, turbidity, salinity, total alkalinity, total acidity, SO42-, PO43-, NO3--N, NO2-, CO2, and most of the heavy and toxic metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Co, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, and Zn) of two lakes namely Foy’s (Chittagong) and Kaptai (Rangamati) Lakes in Chittagong , Bangladesh. The statistical approaches to sampling were utilized for collecting samples. The samples were assembled from ten different locations of each lake. Samples were conserved using a satisfactory preservation procedure. Water samples from the surface-water assets were collected from various locations, and tide conditions and at various seasons for continual monitoring during the hydrological years 2014-2015. The results showed that Kaptai Lake and Foy’s Lake all physicochemical parameters are within the permissible limit of WHO guidelines. The results also supplied data to view, and quantify the enemy of the impact of climate alter on freshwater resources of this region. The outcomes further showed data for water quality of surface-water resources of greater Chittagong zone to match national and international quality for drinking, agricultural, manufacture and livestock requirements. A strategic water quality management plan has been proposed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heru Dwi Wahjono

Semayang Lake and Melintang Lake in Kutai Kartanegara district, East Kalimantan is one of the biggest lake in Indonesia. Both lakes are located in the Mahakam River Basin and has an important role for economic and ecological activities in the Province of East Kalimantan. In addition to being a source of livelihood for fishermen around the lake, is also as habitat for freshwater mammals Pesut Mahakam that are endangered. Illegal logging in the forest around the lake, causing floods when it rains and water pollution will increase with sediment flowing into the lake. In some areas also get the impact of transportation activities of coal mining industry around the Mahakam River. All this causes silting almost the entire surface of the lake, lead to a reduction of existing fishery potential and cause extinction of Pesut Mahakam. To control pollution in the lake, local government of Kutai Kartanegara has implemented an online monitoring technology to monitor the water quality of the lake in four point location. Monitoring results are used to support local goverment in taking pollution control policies in both lakes. Keywords: Water quality online monitoring system, lake water quality monitoring system, GSM  and SMS technology, multiprobe sensor, telemtry system.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 2989
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Dębska ◽  
Beata Rutkowska ◽  
Wiesław Szulc ◽  
Dariusz Gozdowski

Surface waters are very important for society, as they are a source of potable water, as well a water supply for agricultural, industrial and recreational purposes. This paper presents changes in the quality of the water in the Utrata River, along its entire length, as a function of the catchment area’s land use. Water-quality measurements were carried out once a month for a total period of one year (April 2019–March 2020) at 24 measurement points. The concentrations of the following compounds were measured: total phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, and chemical oxygen demand. The results were compared with the limit values specified in the Regulation of the Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation. In order to determine the impact of land use on water quality in the Utrata River, principal component analyses (PCA) were conducted. The research demonstrated a considerably negative impact of agricultural land use and the presence of urban areas on the water quality of the Utrata River, with elevated concentrations of total phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and COD, and decreasing concentrations of dissolved oxygen. The presented results point to the need for effective strategies to mitigate the adverse impact of agriculture and urbanisation on the environment and surface waters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grinson George ◽  
Nandini N. Menon ◽  
Anas Abdulaziz ◽  
Robert J. W. Brewin ◽  
P. Pranav ◽  
...  

Citizen science aims to mobilise the general public, motivated by curiosity, to collect scientific data and contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge. In this article, we describe a citizen science network that has been developed to assess the water quality in a 100 km long tropical lake-estuarine system (Vembanad Lake), which directly or indirectly influences the livelihood of around 1.6 million people. Deterioration of water quality in the lake has resulted in frequent outbreaks of water-associated diseases, leading to morbidity and occasionally, to mortality. Water colour and clarity are easily measurable and can be used to study water quality. Continuous observations on relevant spatial and temporal scales can be used to generate maps of water colour and clarity for identifying areas that are turbid or eutrophic. A network of citizen scientists was established with the support of students from 16 colleges affiliated with three universities of Kerala (India) and research institutions, and stakeholders such as houseboat owners, non-government organisations (NGOs), regular commuters, inland fishermen, and others residing in the vicinity of Vembanad Lake and keen to contribute. Mini Secchi disks, with Forel-Ule colour scale stickers, were used to measure the colour and clarity of the water. A mobile application, named “TurbAqua,” was developed for easy transmission of data in near-real time. In-situ data from scientists were used to check the quality of a subset of the citizen observations. We highlight the major economic benefits from the citizen network, with stakeholders voluntarily monitoring water quality in the lake at low cost, and the increased potential for sustainable monitoring in the long term. The data can be used to validate satellite products of water quality and can provide scientific information on natural or anthropogenic events impacting the lake. Citizens provided with scientific tools can make their own judgement on the quality of water that they use, helping toward Sustainable Development Goal 6 of clean water. The study highlights potential for world-wide application of similar citizen-science initiatives, using simple tools for generating long-term time series data sets, which may also help monitor climate change.


1988 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 568-577
Author(s):  
Harold S. Bailey

Abstract The water quality of the upper 110 kilometres of the St. Croix River is considered to be pristine. A major industrial discharge renders the lower 14 kilometres of the river a water quality limited segment. Prior to 1970 the Georgia-Pacific Pulp and Paper Mill at Woodland, Maine, discharged untreated effluent directly into the river causing dissolved oxygen concentrations to drop well below 5 mg/L, the objective chosen in the interest of restoring endemic fish populations. Since 1972, the Mill has installed primary and secondary treatment, regulated river discharge rate and effluent composition which has greatly improved the summer dissolved oxygen regime. By 1980, dissolved oxygen concentrations were generally above 5.0 mg/L and restocking the river with Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) was initiated.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 23-30
Author(s):  
Sarah Jubb ◽  
Philip Hulme ◽  
Ian Guymer ◽  
John Martin

This paper describes a preliminary investigation that identified factors important in the prediction of river water quality, especially regarding dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. Intermittent discharges from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) within the sewerage, and overflows at water reclamation works (WRW) cause dynamic conditions with respect to both river hydraulics and water quality. The impact of such discharges has been investigated under both wet and dry weather flow conditions. Data collected from the River Maun, UK, has shown that an immediate, transient oxygen demand exists downstream of an outfall during storm conditions. The presence of a delayed oxygen demand has also been identified. With regard to modelling, initial investigations used a simplified channel and the Streeter-Phelps (1925) dissolved oxygen sag curve equation. Later, a model taking into account hydrodynamic, transport and dispersion processes was used. This suggested that processes other than water phase degradation of organic matter significantly affect the dissolved oxygen concentration downstream of the location of an intermittent discharge. It is proposed that the dynamic rate of reaeration and the sediment oxygen demand should be the focus of further investigation.


1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hany Hassan ◽  
Keisuke Hanaki ◽  
Tomonori Matsuo

Global climate change induced by increased concentrations of greenhouse gases (especially CO2) is expected to include changes in precipitation, wind speed, incoming solar radiation, and air temperature. These major climate variables directly influence water quality in lakes by altering changes in flow and water temperature balance. High concentration of nutrient enrichment and expected variability of climate can lead to periodic phytoplankton blooms and an alteration of the neutral trophic balance. As a result, dissolved oxygen levels, with low concentrations, can fluctuate widely and algal productivity may reach critical levels. In this work, we will present: 1) recent results of GCMs climate scenarios downscaling project that was held at the University of Derby, UK.; 2) current/future comparative results of a new mathematical lake eutrophication model (LEM) in which output of phytoplankton growth rate and dissolved oxygen will be presented for Suwa lake in Japan as a case study. The model parameters were calibrated for the period of 1973–1983 and validated for the period of 1983–1993. Meterologic, hydrologic, and lake water quality data of 1990 were selected for the assessment analysis. Statistical relationships between seven daily meteorological time series and three airflow indices were used as a means for downscaling daily outputs of Hadley Centre Climate Model (HadCM2SUL) to the station sub-grid scale.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 1980
Author(s):  
Bushra Tasnim ◽  
Jalil A. Jamily ◽  
Xing Fang ◽  
Yangen Zhou ◽  
Joel S. Hayworth

In shallow lakes, water quality is mostly affected by weather conditions and some ecological processes which vary throughout the day. To understand and model diurnal-nocturnal variations, a deterministic, one-dimensional hourly lake water quality model MINLAKE2018 was modified from daily MINLAKE2012, and applied to five shallow lakes in Minnesota to simulate water temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) over multiple years. A maximum diurnal water temperature variation of 11.40 °C and DO variation of 5.63 mg/L were simulated. The root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) of simulated hourly surface temperatures in five lakes range from 1.19 to 1.95 °C when compared with hourly data over 4–8 years. The RMSEs of temperature and DO simulations from MINLAKE2018 decreased by 17.3% and 18.2%, respectively, and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency increased by 10.3% and 66.7%, respectively; indicating the hourly model performs better in comparison to daily MINLAKE2012. The hourly model uses variable hourly wind speeds to determine the turbulent diffusion coefficient in the epilimnion and produces more hours of temperature and DO stratification including stratification that lasted several hours on some of the days. The hourly model includes direct solar radiation heating to the bottom sediment that decreases magnitude of heat flux from or to the sediment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
MANOJ KUMAR SHUKLA

Present study points out the impact of Lockdown on the health of the Yamuna river at Delhi stretch by comparing prelockdown and Post-lockdown period by studying the reports of pollution monitoring agencies. Delhi segment of the Yamuna is highly polluted, where alongwith domestic sewage a huge quantity of industrial waste is being discharged continuously without proper treatment. Pre lockdown (March 2020) water quality parameters at three sampling stations named as Palla, Nizammuddin Bridge and Okhla barrage U/s in Delhi were, pH were 8.7, 7.3 and 7.2, DO were 17.1 mg/L, not detected in later two sites, BOD were 7.9 mg/L, 57 mg/L and 27 mg/L and COD were 28 mg/L, 90 mg/L and 95 mg/L respectively and postlockdown period (April 2020) the pH was 7.8, 7.2 and 7.1, DO was 8.3 mg/L, 2.4 mg/L and 1.2 mg/L BOD was 2 mg/L, 5.6 mg/ L and 6.1 mg/L and COD were 6 mg/L, 16 mg/L and 18 mg/L respectively. The study of these parameters at three sampling stations reveals that the lack of industrial pollutants discharging due to nationwide lockdown for COVID-19 pandemic had positive effect on water quality of this river. Water quality could be maintained by planned establishment of industries and setup of ETP with without gap between generation and treatment.


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