Microplastics, heavy metals pollute Valley’s deepest lake, finds study

Adil Akhzer

Srinagar, July 30
Central Kashmir’s Manasbal Lake, which is considered as the ‘supreme gem of all Kashmir lakes’ and is also the Valley’s deepest lake, contains heavy metals and microplastics, revealed a study by Kashmir University.
Arshid Jehangir, principal investigator of the study, said: “The two-year-long study, done by Kashmir University's Department of Environmental Science with Punjab’s Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, examined the abundance of microplastics (MPs) in sediment and water samples and factors controlling their distribution in Manasbal Lake.”
“The study revealed that Manasbal Lake has been subjected to heavy metal pollution due to unplanned human settlements in its catchment area,” he said, adding that the levels of heavy metals suggest that Manasbal “sediments exhibit significant contamination with metals such as lead (Pb) and moderate contamination with Copper (Cu) and Cobalt (Co), particularly in proximity to areas with frequent human activities.” Even small amount of lead has a serious impact, according to experts.
Arshid Jehangir noted that the comparison demonstrated that Manasbal Lake bears a significantly “higher pollution load” of microplastics compared to other Himalayan lakes such as Rewalsar, Renuka, Anchar, Pangong and Tso Kar.
The lake is known for its pristine waters and is also famous for growth of lotus plants. Rootstocks of lotus plant in the lake are harvested and marketed extensively.
According to Jehangir, prolonged consumption of these “highly polluted particles could potentially result in chronic toxicity effects in living organisms and human beings due to biomagnification.”
“There is an immediate need for implementing measures to reduce plastic waste and improve waste management practices, which can effectively minimise the input of MPs into waterbodies,” he said.
The authors, in the study, funded under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan 2.0, said all water and sediment samples collected from Manasbal Lake have pollution load index values below 10, indicating 'hazard level I', which signifies “only baseline levels of contamination."
“Values surpassing one suggest a gradual decline in system quality due to increasing pollution,” said Jehangir. The study also found heavy metals on the MPs surfaces.
“Out of the eleven identified metals, seven are designated under the Environmental Protection Agency’s priority pollutants list. Binding of toxic pollutants on the surface of MPs poses a significant risk to the biota dwelling in this freshwater system,” he said, adding that ingesting heavy metal-laden microplastics can contribute to trophic transfer of these metals through the food chain.
Manasbal Lake is one of the largest natural stamping grounds of aquatic birds in Kashmir. Authors in the study say high abundance of “small-sized pellet particles” in Manasbal samples presents a more significant potential threat to aquatic organisms, given their larger surface area.

Hazard level I

The authors, in the study, funded under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan 2.0, said all water and sediment samples collected from Manasbal Lake have pollution load index values below 10, indicating 'hazard level I', which signifies “only baseline levels of contamination."