Ecological

Communication

Biosci. Biotech. Res. Comm. 10(3): 386-390 (2017)

Physicochemical and fungal diversity analysis of two

different sources of polluted water of Cachar District

Assam

Rajesh Paul and Jashodeb Arjun

Zoology Department Lumding College Lumding 782447 Assam

ABSTRACT

Analysis of physicochemical and fungal species from two different sources of water pollution, as Paper Mill Ef uents

(PME) of Hindustan Paper Corporation and City Domestic Sewage (DS) of Cachar district, Assam was carried outduring

pre and post monsoon season (February, 2016 and May, 2016). Water samples were collected and analyzed for standard

physicochemical parameters where pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, total hardness were found within the limits

prescribed by WHO and ISI where as total alkalinity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), nitrate and Phosphate content were

found to be exceeding the permissible limitsfor both PME and DS.Aspergillusniger, A.  avus. andPenicilliumcitri-

numwere among the most commonly encountered species of fungi from both the sites. Highly signi cant microbial load

was observed in domestic sewage (cfu/ml=22.0x103,P<0.001) during the post monsoon season(May, 2016).

ABBREVIATIONS: PME: PAPER MILL EFFLUENT; DS: DOMESTIC SEWAGE

KEY WORDS: PAPER MILL EFFLUENTS, DOMESTIC SEWAGE, FUNGAL SPECIES, PHYSICO CHEMICAL PARAMETERS

386

ARTICLE INFORMATION:

*Corresponding Author: paulrajesh966@gmail.com

Received 17

June, 2017

Accepted after revision 25

Sep, 2017

BBRC Print ISSN: 0974-6455

Online ISSN: 2321-4007 CODEN: USA BBRCBA

Thomson Reuters ISI ESC and Crossref Indexed Journal

NAAS Journal Score 2017: 4.31 Cosmos IF: 4.006

reserved.

Online Contents Available at: http//www.bbrc.in/

DOI: 10.21786/bbrc/10.3/8

INTRODUCTION

Water is the basic need of life, a precious gift of nature to

man and all the living creatures of this universe. So the

quality of water is of vital concern as it is directly linked

with human welfare. Only 3% of the water in the uni-

verse is fresh and among the fresh waters, only around

5% or 0.15% of the total water are available for use.

The total water resource available inIndiais 1850 km

which is approximately 4% of the worlds fresh water

resources (EPA-PWD, 2001) . But very fast it is becoming

a scare commodity in many parts of the universe.

The water quality monitoring results obtained dur-

ing 1995 to 2006 indicate that the organic andbacterial

Rajesh Paul and Dr. Jashodeb Arjun

BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND FUNGAL DIVERSITY ANALYSIS OF TWO DIFFERENT SOURCES 387

contamination are continued to be critical in water bod-

ies. This is mainly due to discharge of domestic waste-

water mostly in untreated form from the urban centers

of the country and at the same time the receiving water

bodies also do not have adequate water for dilution.

Therefore, the oxygen demand and bacterial pollution

is increasing day by day which is mainly responsible for

water borne diseases.

The total surface water resource of Assam State is

estimated at about 600 billion cubic meters, where the

annual replenishable groundwater resource of the State

has been estimated as 27.23 billion cubic meters. But

prolonged discharge of industrial ef uents, domestic

sewage and solid waste dump causes pollution in the

water resources which leads to enormous health prob-

lems. The rapid growth of industrial resources has fur-

ther affected water quality due to overexploitation and

improper waste disposal practices. Hence there is always

a need for concern over the protection and manage-

ment of water resources .considering the above aspects

of contamination ,the present study was undertaken to

investigate the level of water pollution and at the same

time to measure the microbial contamination due to

industrial and domestic exposure in the country rivers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

SAMPLING SITE AND PREPARATION

OF WATER SAMPLES

The present study was carried out during the pre and post

monsoon season (February, 2016 and May, 2016). Raw

paper mill ef uent sample was collected from the outlet

pipes in the local river Barak. For comparative analytical

study domestic sewage was collected from Silchar, Munic-

ipal drainage system at Tarapur area, where all the debris

and discharges of the whole locality have been found to

be discharged. Both the ef uent and sewage samples were

collected in plastic gallons, pH was measured and stored

at -20

C to prevent further microbial growth.

PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PARAMETERS AND

MICROBIAL DIVERSITY STUDY

The paper mill ef uent and domestic sewage were ana-

lyzed for a number of standard physico-chemical prop-

erties, including Color, temperature, pH, turbidity, Dis-

solved Oxygen (DO), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total

alkalinity (TA), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Hard-

ness (TH), FCO

2 ,

Nitrate and Phosphate content were ana-

lyzed followed by the standard methods (USEPA,1996;

APHA,1998).

For the isolation of fungi from both the ef uent and

sewage samples , serial dilution plate technique was

used .1 ml of  nal dilution of sample was inoculated on

Czapek Dox Agar medium. In sterile Petri dishes Martin’s

Rose Bengal was added as a bacteriostatic agent accord-

ing to Smith and Dawson (1944). The tubes of colony

forming units (cfu) was determined after incubating the

inoculated plates in 3 replicates at 25

C (±2

C) for 4-5

days, thereafter fungal species were identi ed using the

keys as described by Gilman (1957); Raper and Fennel

(1965).

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Results were presented as Mean±SE followed by micro-

bial diversity studies where mean value was calcu-

lated from three individual readings of a particular set.

ANOVA was performed to determine the level of signi -

cance of microbial diversity studies. ANOVA was done

using graph pad PRISM (Graph pad Inc., san Diego, CA,

USA). Percentage occurrence used in this study include ,

Occurrence of Species A

Percentage occurrence of species = Í100

Occurrence of all species

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The result of physicochemical parameters performed

from both paper mill ef uent and domestic sewage are

presented in Table 1 and 2.

pH is used to express the intensity of acid or alkaline

condition of a water sample. In our case pH value ranged

from 4.78-6.74, found within the permissible limits.

Highly acidic pH was recorded in DS in both the seasons

specially during the month of May. Water samples with

low pH(<6.0) attributes to the discharge of acid contents

into these ef uents by agricultural or domestic activi-

ties. A decrease in pH may be caused by the increase in

the amount of organic carbon, total carbonates available

in the sewage resources. Though pH has no direct effect

on human health still the different kinds of biochemical

reactions taking place within human body are sensitive

to variation of pH.

TURBIDITY

Turbidity is due to colloidal and  ne dispersions in water

resources. The turbidity value varied between 2.5-3.2

and found within the permissible limit of WHO and ISI.

DISSOLVED OXYGEN (DO)

Dissolved Oxygen is an important parameter for water

quality assessment which re ects the biological pro-

Rajesh Paul and Dr. Jashodeb Arjun

388 PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND FUNGAL DIVERSITY ANALYSIS OF TWO DIFFERENT SOURCES BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Table 1. Physico chemical characteristics of PME and DS in the month of February,

2016.

Parameters

Paper Mill

Ef uent (PME)

Domestic

Sewage (DS)

WHO

Standards

ISI

Standards

Color Pale brown Dark brown - -

Temperature 28 24 - -

pH 6.16 4.78 6.5-8.5 6.5-8.5

Turbidity 2.5 2.8 5.0 10

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) 23.24 4.44 - 5.0

Electrical conductivity (EC) 0.9 1.9 1400 

Total Alkalinity 460 355 120 200

Total Hardness 214.67 138.67 500 300

FCO

7.34 14 - -

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) 665 3695 1000 500

Nitrate 7.942 8.414 5 45

Phosphate 2.192 3.778 0.1 -

Table 2 . Physico chemical characteristics of PME and DS in the month of May, 2016.

Parameters

Paper Mill Ef uent

(PME)

Domestic

Sewage (DS)

WHO

Standards

ISI

Standards

Color Pale brown Dark brown - -

Temperature 26 23 - -

pH 6.74 5.12 6.5-8.5 6.5-8.5

Turbidity 2.7 3.2 5.0 10

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) 17.96 3 - 5.0

Electrical conductivity (EC) 1.2 2.1 1400 

Total Alkalinity 417 323 120 200

Total Hardness 298.67 202.66 500 300

FCO

14.34 24.67 - -

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) 617 3432 1000 500

Nitrate 8.123 9.235 5 45

Phosphate 2.431 4.537 0.1 -

All parameters are in mg/L except Temperature, pH, Turbidity, Electrical conductivity. Temperature in°C, Turbidity in NTU,

Electrical conductivity in micromho /cm

Table 3.Result of microbial (fungal) diversity isolated

from PME and DS(February, 2016 and May, 2016).

Treatment

Groups

cfu /ml (x 103)

February, 2016 May, 2016

Paper Mill

Ef uent (PME)(%)

Domestic Sewage

(DS) (%)

4.67±0.17

9.34a±0.45

10.67b±0.45

7.34±0.34

13.67c,b±0.45

15.67c,b,a±0.75



5.67±0.45

10.34b±1.2

19.34a,b±0.75

8.0±0.78

12.67b±1.047

22.0b,c,a±1.95



Where, P < 0.05 = a, P < 0.01 = b, P < 0.001 = c

cesses taking place in water bodies. The DO value indi-

cates the degree of pollution in water .In our study the

DO content was found minimum during the month of

May, which may be because the increased algal produc-

tivity due to increased rate of photosynthesis (Rajku-

maret al, 2004).

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY (EC)

Electrical conductivity is a measure of water capacity to

convey electrical current. It signi es the amount of total

dissolved salts. EC value was found within the range

of 0.9-2.1 micromho /cm where DS showed higher EC

value in both the seasons indicating the presence of high

amount of dissolved inorganic substances in the ionized

Rajesh Paul and Dr. Jashodeb Arjun

BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND FUNGAL DIVERSITY ANALYSIS OF TWO DIFFERENT SOURCES 389

form in domestic sewage as the conductance of water

increases with salts. Higher the concentration of electro-

lyte in water the more is its electrical conductance.

TOTAL ALKALINITY

The alkalinity of water is caused mainly due to OH, CO

HCO

ions, borates, phosphates and organic acids. It is

an estimation of the ability of water to resist change in

pH upon addition of acid. In the present study, alkalinity

was found beyond the permissible limits of both WHO

and ISI standards.Maximum alkalinity may be due to

low temperature bringing down the rate of decomposi-

tion of salts to a minimum thus by increasing alkalinity.

TOTAL HARDNESS

Water hardness is a measure of capacity of water to pre-

cipitate soap. It is de ned as the sum of Calcium and

Magnesium concentration, both expressed as Calcium

carbonate. In the present investigation, the Total Hard-

ness value (138.67-298.67 mg/L) ranged within the per-

missible limits with maximum hardness during summer

(May), which might be due to reduced in ow of water

and rate of evaporation. The FCO

2

value was recorded

minimum in PME specially in February, 2010 which may

be due to less suspended microbial load on suspended

particles and algal masses (Michael, 1984).

TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS)

TDS content was found within the range of 617-3695

mg/L where DS showed higher TDS content specially

in pre monsoon season which exceeded the maximum

permissible limit of ISI Standards indicating the enor-

mous storage of different types of salts such as carbon-

ates, bicarbonates, chlorides, phosphates, nitrates, mag-

nesium calcium, sodium, potassium, manganese and

organic matters.

Nitrate and Phosphate content were found at higher

concentrations in domestic sewage specially in the sum-

mer season (May, 2010) where Nitrate and Phosphate

level for both the ef uents exceeded the permissible

limit of WHO Standards. Higher Phosphate concentra-

tionmay be because of the discharge of domestic wastes,

soaps, detergents, fertilizers and human activities.

All together six species of fungi belonging to four

genera were isolated and identi ed from the water sam-

ples. The majority of fungi were encountered rarely.

Of the genus Aspergillus the best represented species

wereAspergillusniger, A. fumigatus A.  avus. andPeni-

cillium citrinumwhich were isolated from PME as well

as from DS. The fungi isolated from different samples

ofBarakRiverwere likely to be originated from soil or

entered the water with plant remains. The isolated fungi

from river Barak belong mainly to the category of tran-

sient accidental microorganisms, according to ecological

classi cation of aquatic heterotrophic microorganisms

(Park, 1972b). Transient and accidental microorgan-

isms can develop sporadic activity and soil fungi may

participate in microbiological processes in water bodies

(Park, 1972b). Among the fungal population Aspergil-

luswas represented by highest number of species. This

is in accordance with the statement of Barron (1968)

thatAspergillusis biologically one of the most success-

ful of all fungi and is expected to occur on all sorts of

organic debris. Carlie and Watkinson (1997) in their study

observed that Aspergillus and Penicillium sp have cel-

lulolytic enzymes and wood degrading capability. Cel-

lulolytic  lamentous fungi have the ability to penetrate

cellulose substrate through hyphal extensions. cfu rate

was found to be highly signi cant in DS (22.0x10

) espe-

cially in summer followed by. ANOVA. Low cfu rate in

February may be due to cold climatic condition inhibiting

fungal growth. Maximum fungal diversity was recorded

in domestic sewage in comparison to PME. Higher occur-

rence ofA.  avus andPenicilliumcitrinum. was noted

in PME where as A. niger andA. fumigatuswere among

the mostly encountered species in DS in both the seasons.

CONCLUSION

As the river water is being puri ed by the municipal cor-

porations before public consumption, so human being

Table 4. Occurrence offungi isolated from PME and DS(February, 2016 and May, 2016)

Fungal Species

Identi ed

Water Samples

Paper Mill Ef uent (PME) Domestic Sewage (DS)

10% 25% 50% 10% 25% 50%

Feb May Feb May Feb May Feb May Feb May Feb May

A.  avus

A.niger

Penicilliumcitrinum

A. fumigatus

Mucor sp.

Rhizopus sp.

42.85

28.57

14.28

47.05

41.17

11.76

21.42

17.85

14.28

38.7

48.38

12.9

0

0

15.625

9.375

39.65

44.82

15.51

27.27

45.45

9.09

18.18

44.45

51.85

3.7

0

31.7

39.02

9.75

19.51

42.1

7.89

31.91

40.42

10.63

17.02

56.06

31.81

6.06

Rajesh Paul and Dr. Jashodeb Arjun

390 PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND FUNGAL DIVERSITY ANALYSIS OF TWO DIFFERENT SOURCES BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

have least possibilities to get effected as the ef uents

and sewages get diluted in the river and after puri ca-

tion possibilities to develop water borne disease becomes

negligible. But aquatic  ora and fauna are directly get-

ting exposed to the water of river Barak , might be tre-

mendously effected by the exposure of this polluted water

specially in the form of microbial contamination as no

precautions have been undertaken yet for the safety of

aquatic ecosystem including the aquatic plants and

organisms specially  shes. So, proper measures have to be

undertaken for the maintenance of water quality in Barak

river, so that the water quality and aquatic life including

the aquatic  ora and fauna can be protected from micro-

bial contamination and water pollution as well.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We are grateful to UGC for providing fellowship to RP

and BR.

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