Water Body Rejuvenation or Deterioration

India has implemented the World Lake Vision, developed by the International Lake Environment Committee (#ilec ), #japan , in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (#unep ), for the sustainable use of Lakes and Reservoirs in the Bhoj Wetlands, Chilika Lake, Lake Hussainsagar, Powai Lake, Lonar Lake, and Ujjani Reservoir. After more than a decade, nearly all the identified problems of inflow of #sewage and #wastewater , along with immersion of Idols/Tazis, have been constraint sustainability by upgrading capacities of the existing #sewagetreatmentplant , installing new sewage treatment plants, shifting or providing dedicated locations for immersion, and installing #biological fencing.

However, the problem of #algae blooms due to the eutrophication of lakes still requires prime focus from the #governmentofindia .

The #sustainablesolution to the said problem was to promote #organicfarming . However, the constraint of low productivity due to a shortage of essential nutrients in the #soil and high commercial requirements with inadequate infrastructures make the switching to organic farming much more complex.

A simplified illustration of the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in a wetland (Source: IAN, University of Maryland)

Lakes and ponds typically contain three broad categories of algae which are filamentous, planktonic, and macro-algae.

Planktonic algae are microscopic, single-celled algae that float freely in the water. The extreme abundance of Planktonic algae turns the water to other colors like green, red, brown, yellow, or blue, based on the algae's photosynthetic color.

The tropical conditions of India, with a high concentration of #nitrate and #phosphates , make a perfect recipe for an algal bloom. The #bluegreen algae, also known as cyanobacteria, growth cause a foul #odour to the #water , a layer of scum on the surface, and even poses a health risk.

The health risk associated with the algal bloom is due to the #toxins produced by the algae. These toxins are also known as algal toxins or cyanotoxins. In the recent decade, various studies have identified the presence of Hepatotoxins, Neurotoxins, Dermatotoxins, and Excitotoxins such as b-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BNMA) in the algae. These toxins are responsible for liver cancer; paralysis of skeletal/respiratory muscles; skin reactions; and neuron damage linked to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (#als ), #parkinsons , and #alzheimers , respectively.?

The said excitotoxins transmission is not limited to drinking water, recreational water, or other surface waters. Some theories suggest that excitotoxins can transmit through the air. The excitotoxins from the algal blooms were introduced into the air by the action of waves and wind. On breathing the contaminated air, these excitotoxins dissolve into the blood through the sinus passages. On reaching the brain through the blood vessels, the excitotoxins readily pass through the blood-brain barrier and into the brain. On reaching the brain, the excitotoxins start killing the neurons leading to various brain damage-related diseases.

A couple of recent studies conducted by various organizations in the #florida State of the United States of America (#usa ) found that short-term exposure to blue-green algae can make people sick and be fatal to dogs.

Hence, the least concerning algal bloom hazard, health risk, should be addressed during the water body rejuvenation.

Nowadays, India is rejuvenating water bodies through physical methods such as mechanical #biomass harvesting, lake deepening or dredging, water #aeration , and freshwater addition into the water body. However, the physical techniques are not a sustainable solution.

Further, the recently developed and most popular technique for water body rejuvenation, the biological methods of species manipulation, the #microalgae possess hidden hazards of #cancers and brain damage.

Therefore, one should always avoid the utilization of microalgae in the water body rejuvenation.

For sustainable water body rejuvenation, reach us at [email protected].

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