Biotic communities of Kishanganga river: A pre-impoundment case study of a Himalayan river

A pre-impoundment study of biotic communities was conducted in the Kishanganga river in Jammu and Kashmir on which a hydro-electric project is proposed. The present study was carried out in two phases, monsoon and post-monsoon, at three sites for the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the river. There were no significant differences between two phases in the physical and chemical characteristics of the river water except water current velocity and turbidity. Among the biological components, significant differences were observed in the density of phytoplankton and macro-invertebrates between the two phases. Higher densities of these communities were observed during second phase with the exception of one site. Phytobenthos showed only a slight difference in the density between two phases. Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngbye) M. Schmidt. was the most common and abundant species in the phytoplankton as well as phytobenthic communities during both the phases, whereas Leptoceridae and Baetidae were the most commonly represented taxa among macro-invertebrates. Our studies suggest that the river is unpolluted and supports a rich and diverse community composed of species that are mainly pollution intolerant. This study provides baseline data for the aquatic biodiversity of an unregulated Himalayan river and for preparation of an environment management plan for conserving the biotic communities of the river.

Keywords:

• hydro-electric project
• impact assessment
• species composition
• diatoms
• environment management