Impact of industrial effluents on physico-chemical parameters of water and fatty acid profile of fish, Labeo rohita (Hamilton), collected from the Ramsar sites of Punjab, India

In this contemporary era, wetlands and the entire aquatic diversity are suffering from major pollution problem. Not only the aggregation of higher population in metropolitan causes the production of plenty of solid, liquid and gaseous wastes, but also the high-technological industries contribute to a mammoth of wastes in the ecosystem. During the process of industrial effluent discharge into the water bodies, the toxic substances available in these wastes can affect the aquatic flora and fauna, resultantly disturbing the entire system and constituting human health hazards indirectly or directly. The objective of this study was to estimate the nutritional value of the liver and intestine of fish which is being discarded as waste during fish processing and pollution status by calculated water quality index (WQI) and comparison of both wetlands during diverse seasons. WQI of Harike Wetland was observed to be 56.68 which indicates that water quality in this wetland is “poor”, while at Nangal Wetland WQI was calculated to be 39.54 and comes under “good” water quality and safe for the entire ecosystem. HPI (heavy metal pollution index) for Harike Wetland was observed 144.9 and for Nangal Wetland was 3.12, indicating heavy load of heavy metal pollution at test sample site. MI (metal index) value was also detected higher at test sample site (4.76) as compared to that at control site (0.22). The mean total n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) declined in the liver of test fish samples (Harike Wetland) as compared to control fish (Nangal Wetland) samples except in winter season. Similarly, mean total saturated fatty acids (SFAs) were also found to decline significantly (p<0.05) in the liver of test fish sample as compared to control fish sample during autumn and winter seasons. Significant (p<0.05) decline of mean total n-3 PUFAs (except winter) and total n-6 PUFAs (except rainy) in the intestine of test fish sample was observed during all the seasons when compared to control fish samples. However, total SFAs were found to increase in the intestine of test fish samples as compared to control fish samples during all the studied seasons. In the present investigation, fluctuations recorded in the water quality parameters and major groups of FAs in the tissues were due to the geographical location and pollution load in the fish samples taken from Harike Wetland.