Comparative Limnological Studies in Mysuru City

Abstract

Water security is emerging as an important and imperative issue for India. Many Indian cities are experiencing moderate to severe water shortages due to understood effects of industrialization and urbanization. These shortages would be further provoked by population stress and irrigation requirements that are major factors related to water insecurity. Around 1.2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world's population, live in areas of physical scarcity and 500 million people are approaching this situation. Another 1.6 billion people or almost one quarter of the world's population, are facing economic water shortage. Water use is growing at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century. The water bodies, rivers, lakes, dams and estuaries are continuously subject to dynamic state of change with respect to the geological age and geochemical characteristics. The dynamic balance in the aquatic ecosystem is upset by human activities, resulting in pollution which is manifested dramatically as fish kill, offensive taste, odor, color, and unchecked aquatic weeds. Consequences of such human activities and discharge of sewage water makes the existence of the lakes more vulnerable. It is the prime necessary to take immediate remedial action to prevent all anthropogenic activities in the studied lakes or else the lakes will become biologically barren and will be lost forever. In the present study an attempt was made to know the physical, chemical, characteristic of lake water of selected lakes of Mysuru city.