GIS-Based Assessment of Seasonal and Spatial Variability in Physicochemical Parameters of Dal Lake, Kashmir Himalaya
Sofi Basit Zahoor
Division of Environmental Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
I. J. Khan *
Division of Agricultural Statistics, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
S. Ara
Division of Environmental Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Imran Khan
Division of Agricultural Statistics, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
S. A Bangroo
Division of Soil Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Amarjeet Singh
Division of Fruit Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Bariz Aijaz
Division of Agricultural Statistics, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Perminder Singh
Agricultural Insurance Company of India Limited, India.
Sheezana Shafi
Division of Environmental Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Junaid Ahmad Bhat
Division of Environmental Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Mehak Shabir
Division of Environmental Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Sunil Kumar Yadav
Division of Environmental Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Dal Lake is one of the most ecologically and economically important freshwater ecosystems in the Kashmir Himalaya and is increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities and eutrophication. This study investigated the spatial and seasonal variability of key physicochemical parameters, including water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total dissolved solids (TDS), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) across 29 sampling locations during summer 2024 and winter 2024–2025 (monthly sampling at three depths, 522 water samples in total). GIS-based inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation was used to characterize the spatial distribution of water quality, while boxplot and Pearson correlation analyses were employed to assess seasonal variability and relationships among the measured parameters. The results revealed higher concentrations of BOD, TDS, TN, and TP during summer, whereas DO concentrations were comparatively higher during winter. Spatial analysis identified the peripheral regions of the lake as pollution hotspots influenced by domestic wastewater, agricultural runoff, and other anthropogenic inputs. Strong positive correlations were observed among BOD, TDS, TN, and TP, while DO showed significant negative correlations with these pollution indicators. The integration of geospatial and statistical analyses provided a comprehensive assessment of the spatial and seasonal dynamics of Dal Lake, highlighting the need for effective wastewater management, nutrient load reduction, and continuous monitoring to mitigate eutrophication.
Keywords: Dal Lake, Kashmir Himalaya, freshwater quality, seasonal variability, spatial distribution, geographic information systems, inverse distance weighted interpolation, dissolved oxygen, nutrient enrichment, eutrophication