Anthropogenic Impact on the Lake Ecosystem

Abstract:

Introduction. In today’s world rapid urbanisation travels at a very high pace, tarnishing our nature and wanderlust ecosystem without discriminating with any of the specific ecosystems. Human activities play a very prominent role in causing disruption to the wetland ecosystem and disbalancing the lake equilibrium. Objective. The present paper deals with the impact of anthropogenic activities on water resources and the lake ecosystem is degrading due to the encroachment of local livelihood. Methodology. To know about the human impacts on Anasagar Lake, conducted informal and open-ended interviews with local people residing near the lake area. To get more information about the human impact, interview the nearby farmers who have been practising agricultural activities for more than 20 years. This analysis attempts to identify the strategic factor which is responsible for the degradation of the lake. Result. There are multiple agents which are responsible for degradation of Lake Anasagar. It is important to find out the particular human activities that are responsible for lake water degradation. At the same time, it must be highlighted that the lake is in stress due to the encroachment of the basin, discharge of untreated sewage, fertilizer run-off, pesticides and solid waste dump. Conclusion. The majority of Lake Anasagar is facing the problem of Eutrophication due to discharge of untreated waste water, fertilizers, sewage and run offs containing higher values of chemical nutrients. It has caused a severe effect on fishes, frogs, crabs, etc. The out migration of birds is one of the easily recognisable changes of ecological pattern caused by anthropogenic activities. These factors are responsible for continuous degradation of Anasagar and they are often mutually reinforcing.

Keywords:

human intervention; wetland ecosystem; degradation; sedimentation; water quality; urbanisation.

Citation: Karishma Agarwal and Nishant Ketu (2024). Anthropogenic Impact on the Lake Ecosystem. Horizon J. Hum. Soc. Sci. Res. 6 (1), 58–63. https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2024.v6.n1.id1245.p58