Abstract

STUDY OF FILAMENTOUS FUNGAL FLORA FROM POLLUTED RIVER YAMUNA WATER FROM DELHI CATCHMENT AREAS AS A BASIS TO DETERMINE WATER POLLUTION

Gayatri Tripathy* and P.N. Chowdhry

ABSTRACT

Yamuna is the sub-basin of the Ganga river system. Out of the total catchment’s area of 861404 sq km of the Ganga basin, the Yamuna River and its catchment together contribute to a total of 345848 sq. km area which 40.14% of total Ganga River Basin (CPCB, 1980-81; CPCB, 1982-83). It is a large basin covering seven Indian states. The river water is used for both abstractive and in stream uses like irrigation, domestic water supply, industrial etc. It has been subjected to over exploitation, both in quantity and quality. Given that a large population is dependent on the river, it is of significance to preserve its water quality. The river is polluted by both point and non-point sources, where National Capital Territory (NCT) – Delhi is the major contributor, followed by Agra and Mathura. Approximately, 85% of the total pollution is from domestic source. The condition deteriorates further due to significant water abstraction which reduces the dilution capacity of the river. In the present study, the diversity of filamentous fungi were investigated in the water and soil samples of five different catchment areas of Delhi viz. Khyber Pass, ISBT, Maharani bagh, Kalkaji and Sarita Vihar. The isolation and characterization of various filamentous and terrestrial fungi was utilized as a basis to determine the indicators of pollution in Yamuna River via catchment areas associated with Delhi.

Keywords: Yamuna river, pollution, filamentous fungi, terrestrial fungi, Delhi catchment areas.