FIELD TRIP TO PASHAN LAKE

A BRIEF REPORT

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MSc Environmental Science II

AIM:- SITE VISIT TO DEGRADED ECOSYSTEM, PASHAN LAKE

GEOGRAPHYCAL LOCATION OF PASHAN LAKE

INTRODUCTION

Pashan Lake in Pune is indeed a pleasure point near and yet away from the common din of city life of Pune.

Most importantly, Pashan Lake is famous as a kind of a sanctuary for hundreds of species of local and migratory birds.

Pashan Lake is an artificial lake near the suburb of Pashan, about 12 km from the city center of Pune, India. It was built in the 1990s to meet the water needs of the neighboring areas . The main inlet of the lake is a small rivulet Ram Nadi ( which as of now is blocked & clogged ) , which is even controlled by the barrage located to the north of the lake. Pashan lake has a total catchment area of 40 square kilometres , and serves as a source of water to the old Pashan village. Recent urbanization , industrialization , encroachment , quarrying around the lake has led to the fall in the quality of the water.

Ideal Place for Bird Watchers

Pashan Lake is a haven for bird watchers. People who are studying Ornithology also frequent this lake. Visitors get the opportunity to see different species of birds over here like gray heron, purple moorhen, white and red lapwing and little egret. Moreover, visitors can also get to see house crow, Coot, whitebreasted Kingfisher, jungle Babbler, mahratta woodpecker, cattle Egret, cotton teal, red-rumped swallow, rufousbacked shrike, spotbill, openbilled stork, pied kingfisher, redvented bulbul, purple sunbird, cormorant, pied male bushchat, jungle Crow, Indian whiskered tern, pheasant tailed Jacana, magpie robin, redwattled lapwing and wren warbler over here. In the true sense, this lake allures all the bird-watchers. Presently, due to dumping of chemical products and siltation, several bird species are going away from this lake area. Very close to the Pashan Lake Pune there is a nest of Bonelli's Eagle. WWF, India looks after the

F l o r a : P a s h a n L a k e : The flora of Pashan Lake includes the terrestrial vegetation along the periphery of the Lake as well as the aquatic plant species. Total 76 aquatic species were observed in thevicinity of lake in 1981 (Ghate V. S. and Vartak V. D., 1981).Some of the dominating terrestrial species in observed in and around the lake in 2004 areLeucaena leucocephala (Subabul), Eucalyptus spp. (Nilgiri), Dalbergia sisoo (Shisum),Acacianilotica (Babul), Bauhinia purpurea (Kanchan), Mangifera indica (Mango),Ficus benghalensis(Vad), Samania saman (Rain tree),Delonix regia(Gulmohor) etc. (Amritkar K. 2004)F a u n a : a) Aquatic FaunaThe water of the lake had many diverse forms of phytoplankton, zooplankton, aquatic insects, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles and mollusks. All in one life stage or another were an integral part of the food chain, necessary to sustain Lake Ecosystem. The food supply of the fishes was supplemented also by numerous terrestrial forms, particularly during periods of rainfall or strong winds. Maintenance of good water quality (relatively free of inorganic or organic pollutants) was also necessary for the well being of the diverse aquatic populations but it was not taken care of. Anthropological interventions with natural ecosystem affected the aquatic fauna and it started depleting. Currently, as the lake is totally emptied, aquatic life has vanished. The aquatic fauna at Pashan included various species such as, Tilapia mossambica,Labeo sp.,Cyprinus carpio, Channa murulius, Salmostome boopis, Mystus cavasius, Ompok bimaculatus,Puntius ticto, Heteropneustes fossilis, Notopterus notopterus etc. (Kanhere Z., 1994)

b) AvifaunaThe lake was also known as a birdwatchers’ paradise. Recent studies by Z.W.D. Li and T. Mundkur,in 2007 say that the presence of 207 bird species which is an evidence of a healthy ecosystem hasnow gone down drastically by 80% with latest bird count of 47 species. The Lake is home to avariety of migratory and residential birds, which is sure to delight the ornithologists. Various birdscan be spotted like White breasted Kingfisher, gray heron, purple moorhen, Bonelli's Eagle,Drongo, red-wattled lapwing. (Wadadekar Y., 1995)T h e R e s t o r a t i o n a n d B e a u t i f i c a t i o n P l a nIn an attempt to ameliorate the condition of the lake, the Pune Municipal Corporation hadsubmitted and received approval from JNNURM. Based on the same, NERIL was appointed

as aProject Management Consultant for preparation of a comprehensive master plan for rejuvenationand beautification of the Pashan Lake. NERIL prepared and submitted a Master Plan in 2008. Thebasic objective of the master plan is to restore the lake as a bird’s paradise by providing breedingand feeding ground for aquatic and avian fauna.A comparative analysis of pictures will show the progress of intended developmental works in the lake.

History

Pashan lake is a man-made lake, built to accommodate the water requirements of the

Pashan and Sutarwadi suburbs. The lake was once a source of drinking water, but the

recent boom in urbanization and silting of the lake has degraded the water and made it

unfit for drinking. The lake served as a source of water to old Pashan village, for growing

crops . The lake and its surrounding area attracts residential and migratory birds species

and so is popular spot for bird watchers.

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has constructed a 300 metre footpath called the

Nature Trail alongside the lake. It is constructed along the western shore of Pashan lake.

Also, PMC has built a bamboo plantation ( which is not a viable option ) and wall

alongside the lake to protect it and attract birds.

Past Flora: Nimphia, Nelumbo or Water lily, Autelia etc was found in Pashan lake.

Geology –

Compact Basalt seen in places . Murum soil seen all over the place. For artificial

embankment , stone pitching is being done. For the protection and attraction of

migratory species an artificial island has been created.

The main objectives of Pashan lake are

1. A water supply source for neighbouring surban areas

2. To encourage the sustainability of local population of flora and fauna

3. A scenic and picnic spot

4. Serve as an artificial wetland in the suburban area of Pune City

MACROPHYTES

Heavy metals such as lead and copper are released into the environment through human activities. There is need to develop sustainable methods for their clean up, there by phytoremediation is one of the suitable approach for removal of these heavy metals from contaminated water and soil. An important objective of this survey was; screening of heavy metals tolerance in macrophytes by repeatable method. The aquatic macrophytes (Persicaria glabra, Juncellus alopecuroides, Alternanthera philoxeroides, Hygrophila schulli) were used to obtain the threshold level of heavy metals concentration. Pot soil screening has been done, because it was less expensive and less time consuming. This study shows the threshold concentration of lead and copper for optimum growth of Persicaria glabra (300 and 500mg/kg), Juncellus alopecuroides (200 and 300mg/kg), Alternanthera philoxeroides (200-200mg/kg), and Hygrophila schulli (200 and 300mg/kg) respectively. The result obtained with screening method showed that it could be representative of what happened in the field.

Role of Macrophytes

1. Planktons and submerging plants2. Equiisetum pteriodophyte

3. Marsilea quadrifolia: Marsilea quadrifolia is the perfect alternative to higher light demand foreground plants. Marsilea quadrifolia is an undemanding plant species that is able to adapt to low light and high light conditions. It does not require carbon dioxide or heavy water column fertilization. However a nutrient rich substrate, high light, and carbon dioxide injection will encourage it to grow faster

than its natural slow growth propensity.

Marsilea quadrifolia

4. Colocacia5. Cucurbiaceae family plants

6.Phragmites

Phragmites

7. Serpus (green grass)8. Grabs (Plants used in STP)9. Xaecellus plant

10. Pistia: Pistia is a genus of aquatic plant in the arum family, Araceae

Water lettuce is often used in tropical aquariums to provide cover for fry and small fish. It is also helpful as it outcompetes algae for nutrients in the water, thereby preventing massive algal blooms.

Pistia(Water hycienth)

11. Morinda pubescence: This study investigated the wound healing properties of the chloroform extract of Morinda pubescens fruit in rats. Topical application of M. pubescens fruit extract at 20 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL concentrations appreciably accelerated wound healing in rats compared with controls. Complete wound contraction was achieved, and fresh hair began to grow in the entire wounded area within 15 days in animals treated with the 20 mg/mL chloroform fruit extract of M. pubescens compared with only 60% contraction without hair growth in control rats.

12.Hydrophylla schulli: An armed shrub, with 6 thorns at each node, linear-lanceolate leaves, in whorls, purple flowers, fascicled at nodes and elongate capsule containing orbicular seeds having long and curved retinacula

Medicinal Uses

inflammation, jaundice, dysentery, diseases of the urogenital tract, arthritis, cough, stomach disorders, anaemia, eye disorders, promoting sexual vigour and strength, arresting abortion, burning sensation, diarrhoea, general debility, snakebites, cancer

13.Cacia parthenum

14.Martinia

15.Diandr

AVIFAUNA

1. Spot bill duck

2. Cormorants

3. Grey heron

4. Common coot

5. Painted stork

6. Pond heron

7. Kingfisher

8. Spoonbill

9. White brested water hen

10. Lapwing

11. Purple Moorhen

12. Black crested night heron

13. Greater egret

14. Little egret

15. Greater Adjutent stork

16. Lesser Adjutent stork

CONCLUTION:

Various reasons behind degradation of the lake are as follows:

1) Deforestation on nearby hills has caused heavy silt formation in the lake. This has decreased the depth of the lake from at least 50 feet to about 20 feet on account of the silt collected in it.2) Ipomea weed is also cited as a major cause of lake's deterioration as it prohibits the growth of other plants.3) Washing of trucks in the area contributes to the pollution by adding oil and petrol to the sewage. The water quality deteriorated fast as the quantity of sewage water and other effluents mixing in the water kept rising. PMC worked towards improving the filtration plant but water quality remained poor. In 1998, Pune Municipal Corporation discontinued providing drinking water from the lake. However, now the lake is being studied for providing potable water again.