Seasonal Variation in the Physico - Chemical Parameters of Vattakkayal Lake, Corporation of Kollam, South India

The present study was focused on the variation of physico-chemical parameters in water and sediment samples taken from Vattakkayal, Kollam. Water and sediment samples from three sampling sites from the Lake were analysed for various water quality parameters during the period February 2018- January 2019. The measured water parameters were compared with the guidelines proposed by the WHO and WRC for drinking water and sediment respectively. The results showed that parameters like Temperature, pH BOD, Salinity are within the permissible range except for DO. The concentration of heavy metals such as Cu, Cr, Pb and Cd were found to be lower than the maximum permissible limits both in water and sediment recommendation of international guidelines except for Fe. Nutrient accumulation were found to be high in the lake, especially phosphate and sulphate in water is present above the maximum permissible limit. At present heavy metal load in the Lake is low when compared to previous studies. It may be due to the awareness among people about the ill effects of water pollution. Organic pollution and encroachment are the main reasons for the deterioration of the water body.