Comparative Analyses of Physico-chemical Characteristics in Surface Water Sources of Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary,Kerala,India

Water pollution is a major problem worldwide, the management of which requires continuous monitoring and the effective implementation of water resource policy at all levels. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the water quality of three major sub-tributaries of Shendurney river viz. Kallar, Shendurney and Uruliyar which drains through the Shendurney wildlife sanctuary which also forms the catchment of the Kallada reservoir. The reservoir was also brought into the purview of the study and the results revealed a general trend of increasing pollution load from upstream to the downstream. Values of parameters such as pH and DO are higher in samples from the upstream whereas the BOD values which indicate the high concentration of organic matter is higher in the downstream portion of the three streams. The results of the study indicate the deterioration caused due to human interference in the outer and buffer zones of the protected area.