ISSN: 0973-4929, Vol. 14, No. (1) 2019, Pg. 143-148 Current World Environment www.cwejournal.org Effect of Idol Immersion Activities on the Water Quality of Urban Lakes in Bengaluru, Karnataak BISWESWAR GORAIN1* and SRIJITA PAUL2 1ICAR - Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, RRS Bharuch, Gujarat, India. 2Department of Agronomy, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Nadia, West Bengal, India. Abstract Immersion of painted idols and dumping of organic wastes in the lakes, as a part of religious activities, are immensely adding to water Article History quality deterioration. Incorporation of alkaline, alkali-earth metals and Received: 29 January 2019 heavy metals through the idol making paints are likely to promote the Accepted: 16 March 2019 hardness and heavy metal concentration of water in these surface water bodies, and therefore, deteriorate the water quality. In this Keywords purview, periodic analysis of Nagavara and Ulsoor lake water were Alkaline; carried out to investigate the effect of idol immersion activities on Alkali Earth Metals; Biological Oxygen the lake water quality. Water samples were collected before and Demand (BOD); after immersion activities randomly from different points of these Chemical Oxygen Demand(COD); lakes. In Nagavara lake, the maximum concentrations of calcium and Heavy Metals; magnesium were recorded to be 6.6 and 3.02 ppm, respectively after Idol Immersion; one month of immersion. The maximum concentrations of Na and K Paints; Water Quality. were 19.3and 42.8 ppm, respectively after seven days of immersion. In Ulsoor lake water, the EC had increased from 0.36 dSm-1 before immersion to 1.22 dSm-1 after 14 days of immersion. The nitrate content of water before immersion was 1.51 ppm which increased to 4.7 ppm, after 14 days of immersion in Ulsoor lake water. Higher BOD and COD values were recorded in lake water seven days after immersion activities. The concentrations of different inorganic ions including heavy metals (Cr, Cd and Pb) were found to increase in the post immersion period. The water of these lakes is used for irrigation as well as other purposes. Thus, proper measures have to be adopted to restore and maintain water quality in these lakes. CONTACT Bisweswar Gorain [email protected] ICAR - Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, RRS Bharuch, Gujarat, India. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Enviro Research Publishers. This is an Open Access article licensed under a Creative Commons license: Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY). Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.14.1.13 GORAIN & PAUL, Curr. World Environ., Vol. 14(1), 143-148 (2019) 144 Introduction of the paint. Most commonly used solvents are Urban lakes are inland aquatic systems supporting naphtha, mineral spirits and turpentine. Generally, ecosystem through biodiversity sustenance and solvent - based paints contain 25% binders, 27.5% acts as source of water in lean season. Recently, pigment and 47.5% organicsolvents.6 These paints urban lakes are in the merge of extinction due to are used for colouring idols of Lord Ganesha encroachments, siltation as well aseutrophication and Goddess Durga which are later immersed from domestic and industrial effluents.1 The lakes in the lakes as a part of religious rituals. Further, in Bengaluru are also facing similar problems addition of organic matter (leaves, flowers etc.), as as indicated by satellite images and information a part of these activities, increases BOD and COD available with Survey of India.1,2 These are subjected levels which in turn affect the aquatic environment to varying degrees of degradation and pollution. The adversely.7Addition of Sindur in these water bodies water quality deterioration in these lakes is mainly (reported to contain lead and chromium) is very toxic due to discharge of untreated or partially treated to human beings even at very low concentrations.8 sewage,organic, inorganic and toxic pollutants of industrial and domestic origin. Immersion of painted These heavy metals subsequently get adsorbed idols as a part of religious activities is reported to be on the charged surfaces of silt and clay or simply an important source of heavy metal contamination get dissolved in lake water. These heavy metal in the lake water.3,4,5 laden water and sediments, if used for irrigation or as amendment, can be translocated in the plant The principal components in paints include pigments, parts and enter the human system through food vehicles and solvents. Pigments are color contributing chain. The transfer factors of metals in the plant insoluble solids, containing heavy metals as one of system vary not only with soil properties (pH, Eh, the main constituents. The major lead containing moisture, microbial diversity, organic matter content pigments include red lead, leaded zinc oxide, white etc.) but also with the physiology of the crop. The lead, chrome green, chrome yellow and chrome content of heavy metals in edible plants follows the orange. Lead is present in these pigments as oxides, order: leafy vegetables > root crops > fruits. It was carbonates, hydroxides and chromates. Vehiclesare reported that the use of contaminated lake water the adhesives causing the pigment to adhere to a for irrigation purpose has not only contaminated surface. They comprise of synthetic and phenolic the vegetables and cereals but also animal milk9. resins. Solvents are used to adjust the consistency Regular ingestion of heavy metal contaminated food and water cause bio magnifications in human and animal systems and may adversely affect the normal Table 1: Alkali and alkaline earth metals physiological functions. In this context, a study was concentrations in Ulsoor lake water before and conducted with the objective of determining the effect at different intervals after immersion of idols of idol immersion activities on the heavy metals contamination and lake water quality. Period of Ca Mg K Na sampling (meqL-1) (ppm) T1 3.5 1.8 28.5 19.10 T2 4.7 1.6 35.3 21.50 T3 9.63 3.2 36 26.20 T4 7.33 2.8 33.5 27.50 T5 11.51 3.6 29 23.75 T6 9.33 3.4 28.4 22.50 mean 7.66 2.73 31.78 23.42 S.D. 3.08 0.84 3.55 3.08 T1: sampling before 30 days, T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6: sampling 1, 7, 14, 30 and 45 days after idol immersion activities, respectively Fig. 1: Changes in pH due to idol immersion GORAIN & PAUL, Curr. World Environ., Vol. 14(1), 143-148 (2019) 145 Methodology and Ulsoor, 30 days before immersion activities (T1) Location of the Lakes and there after periodically at 1 (T2), 7 (T3), 14 (T4), Nagavara lake (13° 02' N, 77° 36' E) is one of the 30 (T5) and 45 (T6) days. The water samples were popular attractions of Bengaluru. The lake is situated analysed for physico - chemical parameters viz. pH, in the outer ring road of Bengaluru and is spread EC, chemical constituents e.g. alkaline and alkali across an area of 43.86 hectares. Ulsoor lake (120 earth elements viz. Ca, Mg, K, Na and heavy metals 58’ N, 770 37’ E) is located in central Bengaluru viz. Fe, Pb, Cd and Cr. and begins roughly near the eastern terminus of MG Road. The lake has a catchment area of 1.5 Sample Preparation and Analysis km2 fed by three drains at different locations. The The analysis of physicochemical properties and surface area of the lake is 50 ha. These lakes are estimation of the dissolved metal content were done located in densely populated areas with possible after filtering the water samples (500 mL) using chances of heavy metals contamination. Since they Whatman No 41 filter paper (0.45 µm pore size). had the potential to cater to the water demand of the The filtrates were preserved with 2 ml nitric acid to locality in the lean season through the conservation prevent the precipitation of metals. The samples were of large volume of water, these lakes were selected then concentrated on a water bath and subjected to for the study. nitric acid digestion prior to the estimation of metals using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Perkin Sampling of Lake Water Elmer Analyst,700). The physicochemical and Water samples were collected from ffive randomly biochemical water quality parameters were analysed selected points within 20-30 feet from the immersion using standard procedures.10,11,12 The observed data sites of two different lakes of Bengaluru viz. Nagavara were sere analyzed for the measures of central Fig. 2: Changes in EC (dS m-1) Fig. 3: Changes in chromium concentration due to idol immersion (ppm) due to idol immersion Fig. 4: Changes in cadmium concentration Fig. 5: Changes in lead concentration (ppm) due to idol immersion (ppm) due to idol immersion GORAIN & PAUL, Curr. World Environ., Vol. 14(1), 143-148 (2019) 146 tendency (mean) and measures of dispersion Table 2: Alkali and alkaline earth metals (standard deviation). concentrations inNagavara lake water before and at different intervals Results and Discussions after immersion of idols Changes in Physicochemical Properties of Lake Water Due to Idol Immersion Period of Ca Mg K Na The EC of the Ulsoor lake water had increased from sampling (meq l-1) (ppm) 0.36 dSm-1 before immersion to1.22 dSm-1 after 14 days of immersion (Fig. 2). The pH of the water T1 4.6 1.9 39.8 13.5 increased from 8.15 to8.7, 30 days after immersion T2 5.3 2.6 41.4 15.5 with a standard deviation of 0.23 (Fig. 1).The EC of T3 6.6 2.9 42.8 19.3 Nagavara lake water increased from 0.61 dSm1 to T4 4.7 2.6 40.7 17.86 0.81 dSm-1 seven days after immersion.