A brief overview of the application of pollution monitoring indices on Amrit Ganga river, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Benthic macroinvertebrates are an indispensable part of aquatic ecosystems. They are used repetitively for evaluation of aquatic health since the emergence of the industrial revolution. Several studies show that their presence and absence are an indicators of aquatic health. In our study at the Amrit Ganga river, four sampling stations (consisting of sampling points each) were selected for the collection of aquatic macroinvertebrates. A total of n= 465 individuals were collected during the sampling period in which Trichoptera and Diptera appeared as dominant orders. According to functional feeding groups, the presence of filters and scrapers was higher than that of detritivore, and the presence of predators was lowest. Based on the presence of sensitive orders,%EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) was calculated, and the maximum value calculated was 74.5% in (site 2) and the minimum value was 21% in (site 4). We also quantified the Water Quality Index approach which is based on physicochemical properties of water and the minimum and maximum values of WQI (Water Quality Index) varies from 33.94 in Site 2 to 48.61 in Site 4, indicating