Linking human-biophysical interactions with the trophic status of Dal Lake, Kashmir Himalaya, India

- Satellite, field, archived and lab data was integrated in GIS to generate baselines.
- Lake status was assessed on the basis of land cover, water quality and demography.
- Knowledge about various drivers affecting the lake will inform lake conservation.

The study analyses the long-term biophysical and demographic changes in Dal lake, located in the heart of Srinagar city, Kashmir India, using a repository of historical, remote sensing, socio-economic and water quality data supported by the extensive field observations. The lake faces multiple pressures from the unplanned urbanization, high population growth, nutrient load from intensive agriculture and tourism. The data showed that the lake has shrunk from 31 km2 in 1859-24 km2 in 2013. Significant changes were observed in the land use and land cover (LULC) within the lake (1859-2013) and in the vicinity of the lake (1962-2013). Analysis of the demographic data indicates that the human population within the lake has shown more than double the national growth rate. Additionally, 7 important water quality parameters from 82 well distributed sites across the lake were analyzed and compared with the past data to determine the historical changes in the water quality from 1971 to 2014. The changes in the LULC and demography have adversely affected the pollution status of this pristine lake. Ortho-phosphate phosphorous concentration has increased from 16.75 μg L−1 in 1977-45.78 μg L−1 in 2014 and that of the nitrate-nitrogen from 365 μg L−1 to 557 μg L−1, indicating nutrient enrichment of the lake over the years. Built-up area within the lake has increased 40 times since 1859, which, together with the changes in the population and settlements, have led to the high discharge of untreated nutrient-rich sewage into the lake. Similarly the expansion of floating gardens within the lake and agriculture lands in the catchment has contributed to the increased nutrient load into the lake due to the increasing use of fertilizers. The information about the existing land cover, demography and water quality was integrated and analyzed in GIS environment to identify the trophic status of the lake. The analysis indicated that 32% of the lake falls under sever degradation, 48% under medium degradation while as 20% of the lake waters are relatively clean. It is believed that the results provide improved knowledge and insights about the lake health and causal factors of its degradation necessary for effectively restoring its ecological and hydrological functionality.