Assessment of water quality trends in Rudrasagar Lake, Tripura, India

• Published in: Desalination and water treatment 2023-05, Vol.294, p.60-70
• Main Authors: Roy, Ritabrata, Majumder, Mrinmoy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: India; Rudrasagar Lake; Tripura; Water quality assessment; Water quality index; Water quality trend
• ISSN: 1944-3986; 1944-3986
• DOI: 10.5004/dwt.2023.29562

Rudrasagar Lake is a one of the vital lakes of Tripura, India and the only Ramsar Site of the state. The lake hosts an ample biodiversity inclusive of few endangered and rare species. This lake provides livelihood to a large number of local people by means of fishing, tourism and collection of aquatic vegetation. The water quality of Rudrasagar Lake is, therefore, important both in ecological and economical aspects. In this study, electrical conductivity, pH, temperature (T), total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, turbidity (Turb) and Total nitrate (N) of Rudrasagar were estimated in every month for 3 consecutive years. Assessment of the lake, conducted with multiple indices, revealed the overall quality of water was fair (NSF WQI 67-85) during study period with some deterioration in summer (NSF WQI 67-78). However, the lake was found turbid (17.3–57.2 NTU), lacked dissolved oxygen (3.92–9.16 ppm) and retained considerable organic load biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 1.18–4.92 ppm). A slight yearly deterioration was observed during winter, spring and summer. Functions of distribution for the selected parameters and indices, used in this study, were developed for mathematical expression of water quality trend.