Abstract

8.Evaluation of Littoral Sediment of a Tropical Fish Pond of Bhopal, Bharat
Pragya Tiwari and Pramod Kumar
Present work aimed to study the physico-chemical characteristics of littoral sediment of Piplani pond of Bhopal City, mainly used for integrated fish farming. The physico-chemical characteristics of the sediment sample like electrical conductivity, loss on ignition, calcium, magnesium, chloride, total phosphorus, organic carbon, and organic matter have been analyzed from August, 2013 to September, 2013. Composite sediment samples were collected monthly from three sites (S1, S2, and S3) of the Piplani Pond of Bhopal. The sediment samples were collected and brought to the laboratory, processed, and analyzed.Average range of sediment pH was 6.4-6.5 units; electrical conductivity was 861-879 µS/cm; Total Alkalinity was 48-60 mg/gm; Chloride was 35 mg/gm; Calcium 100-120 mg/gm; Magnesium was 24-60 mg/gm; Nitrogen was 0.74-0.78 mg/gm; Total phosphorus was 0.40-0.43 mg/gm; Sodium was 0.238-0.28 mg/gm; and Potassium was 0.34-0.38 mg/gm in the Piplani pond. The percentage range of Organic matter and Organic carbon was recorded between 11%-12% and 6%-7% respectively. The result of the present investigation indicates that the sediment of the Piplani pond is organically rich. The pond receives a high amount of organic material from its surrounding areas in the form of solid waste, domestic waste, waste of sewage canals, etc. Keywords: Physico-chemical Parameters, Littoral Sediment, Trophic Status, Piplani pond.