Limnological Profile of a Sub Urban Wetland - Chatlam, Kashmir

Kashmir valley in western Himalayas, spread over 5,000Km² at a mean elevation of 1585m, is highly rich in lakes and wetlands which alone covers approximately 250 Km² (5% of the total area). Due to expanding urbanization, intensive agricultural practices and unsustainable exploitation of the wetland resources, all the physico-chemical parameters record an unusual pattern. Similarly Chatlam wetland is under immense anthropogenic stress like grazing, encroachment, draining of water for irrigation purposes, dumping of agricultural, domestic and municipal wastes etc. In fact chemical parameters like pH, Conductivity, Chloride, Nitrite Nitrogen, Nitrate Nitrogen, Ammonical Nitrogen and Orthophosphate were assessed during the present study which revealed a gradual increase in their concentration over the years. The present study thus provides an important insight into the restoration of the biotype.