EN
Destruction of natural water bodies due to cultural eutrophication is a predominant problem in India. Motijheel Lake of Murshidabad district is an environmentally, economically and historically significant water body. However, Anthropogenic activities including unplanned settlements around this lake and its over exploitation have deteriorated its water quality to a great extent. Motijheel Lake acts as a sink for domestic sewage, human and animal excreta. Surface runoffs are discharged into the lake which further adds to the list of pollutants. High phosphate, nitrate and nitrite-Nitrogen and chlorophyll content of the lake categorizes it as hypereutrophic one. Also, the amount of phosphate, nitrite and iron present in Motijheel Lake exceed the permissible limit in drinking water, as prescribed by US Environmental Protection Agency and Bureau of Indian Standards. When the Below Poverty Line residents of the surrounding area consume such water, they become susceptible to various fatal diseases. The low level of Dissolved Oxygen in the lake water signifies huge amount of organic matter deposited in the lake and indicates the lake water to be poor in quality. The high load of coliform bacteria in the lake water further corroborates the deposition of domestic, human and animal wastes. If water with such high concentration of faecal coliform is consumed, it could lead to fatal gastrointestinal and enteric diseases.