Mapping surface water quality in Myanmar using aquatic drones

<p>Water resources in Myanmar are increasingly affected by anthropogenic pressure and climate change related impacts. At the Inle Lake a unique village is located on the water in close proximity to intense fishing/farming activities. The nearby floating gardens provide invaluable resources for local communities, who are highly vulnerable to changes to water quality in the lake. Diversely, within the city of Yangon, the Kandawgyi lake is a popular recreational area which has become heavily affected by excessive algae proliferation. The deterioration of water quality Is likely caused by uncontrolled untreated wastewater, and poses a risk to the citizens. Finally, rivers such as the Pan Hlaing River, flow through industrial zones and collect waste water discharges.</p><p>Monitoring in these regions is scarce and limited to a few point-sampling locations. Local stakeholders lack adequate tools to monitor the needed parameters and are in need of reliable and updated baseline water quality data to support them in setting-up sustainable water management strategies. Tools such as aquatic drones and in-situ sensors are innovative ways of monitoring water quality and ecology that could contribute for effectively gathering valuable environmental data.</p><p>In this project, aquatic drones (both underwater and surface) were equipped with water quality sensors and cameras for low-cost and rapid assessment of surface water quality at high spatial resolution. The drones are able to navigate autonomously through way-points while collecting geo-referenced data. This study aims at field-testing of two affordable aquatic drones with sensors to map water quality parameters in different types of water systems (large lake, urban lake, river). This study reports the challenges encountered, and evaluates the resulting dataset/maps are in relation to the cost and value for the local stakeholders (ongoing research).</p><p>At the Inle Lake, results show varying concentrations of the different parameters that were measured. Low dissolved oxygen levels were found within the villages and underneath floating gardens, while chlorophyll-a and cyanobacteria levels were low across the whole lake. Underwater images show the presence of fish and provide insights into the aquatic ecosystems. At the Kandawgyi Lake, the generated water quality maps illustrate the spatial distribution of the different parameters, and two main areas of contamination could be identified (high algae content, low dissolved oxygen, high E-coli concentrations). At the Pan Hlaing river, the plotted data show degrading levels of dissolved oxygen concentrations, indicating potential effects caused by industry outlets.</p><p>The water quality maps that were generated with this data are very illustrative of the condition of the water bodies and the location of contaminations hotspots. The measurement process was accompanied by stakeholders and local universities, which contributed to stimulate capacity building and to create awareness for water quality related problems. As follow-up activities, these results will be used to draft a long-term water quality monitoring plan for local Myanmar students to continue collecting water quality data at these lakes. The detected issues are being discussed with local stakeholders, as well as the possibilities for establishing a larger scale monitoring campaign using this type of monitoring tools.</p>

A Dual Source of Phosphorus to Lake Sediments Indicated by Distribution, Content, and Speciation: Inle Lake (Southern Shan State, Myanmar)

In this study, grab and core sediments from Inle lake were collected and analysed for their water and organic matter (O.M.) contents. Total phosphorus (TPSMT) and P fractions, namely inorganic-P (IP), organic-P (OP), P bound to Al, Fe and Mn oxy-hydroxides (Fe-P), and calcium-bound P (Ca-P) were determined by a sequential extraction procedure. TPSMT varied considerably (152–1980 mg/kg), with minimum concentrations detected at sites away from the main inflow rivers and maximum concentrations in the floating gardens area. In core sediments, TPSMT concentrations tended to decrease with depth, reaching values of <100 mg/kg. Concerning P forms, the overall abundance sequence in grab sediments was IP >> OP and Ca-P ≥ OP > Fe-P, whereas in core sediments it showed marked differences with depth and between sites. The relative abundance of the inorganic species (Ca-P, Fe-P) was controlled by the mineralogy of the sediments. While the TPSMT distribution pointed to an increased anthropogenic input, the relative abundance of P species provided information on the P origin, incorporation processes, and evolution over time. This information, combined with chemical and mineralogical data, permitted to identify two different P sources: the agricultural input in the floating gardens area and the detrital input related to soil erosion.

Building a Floating Hydroponic Garden

The Aztecs and Incas amazed the Spanish conquistadors with their floating gardens, and now 500 years later you can impress your friends and neighbors with yours. A floating hydroponic garden is easy to build and can provide a tremendous amount of nutritious vegetables for home use, and best of all, hydroponic systems avoid pest problems commonly associated with the soil. This simple guide will show you how to build your own floating hydroponic garden using material locally available at a cost of about $40.00. This is document HS-943, a publication of the Horticultural Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication Date: March 2001. Revision Date: September 2003. HS943/HS184: Building a Floating Hydroponic Garden (ufl.edu)