A study on the impact of water quality on the murrel fish Channa striata and Channa punctata from three major Southern Tamilnadu rivers, India

Rivers are one of the natural fresh water resources that satisfy the domestic, agricultural and industrial needs of people. The Cauvery, Vaigai and Thamirabarani are the three major rivers flowing through the Southern Tamil Nadu region of India. In this study, the Water Quality Index (WQI) and heavy metal concentrations of river water during the pre- and post-monsoon periods in 2015 were recorded and the impact of heavy metal accumulation in two important murrel fish species, Channa striata and Channa punctata, was analysed using micronuclei and histology assays. The results revealed that the WQI was greater than 50 in most sites, indicating poor water quality for the sustainability of living organisms. The Heavy metal Pollution Index (HPI) was critical with values >100 in a few sites along the Cauvery and the Vaigai. The bioaccumulation of heavy metals was higher in the C. punctata than in the C. striata in most instances. Cd, Cu and Pb showed higher bioaccumulation in the pre-monsoon samples whereas As, Cr and Zn exhibited higher bioaccumulation during the post monsoon period. The Ni bioconcentration was consistent in both of the periods. The accumulation of heavy metals in the fish organs was as follows: gills > liver > kidney > muscle. The muscles exhibited Hazard Quotient (HQ) values 0.05–3.3 × 10(−6) times lower than the Reference Dose (RfD) level, indicating no significant health risk from the intake of these metals through the consumption of their muscle tissues. The MN% was 0.19–0.22% in the C. striata, 0.15–0.25% in the C. punctata from heavily polluted sites and less polluted sites showed 0.05% and 0.07% MN in the C. striata and C. punctata, respectively. The MN% in the pre-monsoon samples was higher than that of the post-monsoon samples and the C. punctata had a higher MN% than the C. striata. The gills of the fish with high bioaccumulation showed severe lamellar fusion, hyperplasia, hypertrophy and epithelial lifting, their liver hepatocytes showed necrosis of the parenchymal cells and vacuolation, their Kidney tubules were dilated and vacuolated glomeruli with no Bowman's space were observed. Their muscles had normal myotomes with equally spaced muscle bundles. The C. punctata showed more severe histopathological changes than the C. striata. Thus, the present study defines a warning alarm for the proper remediation steps to be taken to safeguard the natural water resources as well as the aquatic ecosystem.