PONDS­ THE NEW VITAL ROLE

DR. THRIVIKRAMJI.K.P.
EMERITUS FELLOW, DEPT OF GEOLOGY
KARIAVATTOM CAMPUS
thrivirkamji@gmail.com
 PONDS­
MODERN EQUIVALENTS OF COAL
FORMING SWAMPS OF GEOLOGIC
PAST
GENERIC TYPES:
NATURAL, CONSTRUCTED OR
PARTLY CONSTRUCTED;
SECOND ONLY TO SPRINGS IN
ABUNDANCE.
 CONTROLLING FACTORS­
NATURE OF LANDSCAPE,
LITHOLOGICAL COVER,
PREVAILING CLIMATE.
CLOSED ENVIRONEMNT ENABLES
DEVELOPING OF SELF CONTAINED
ECOSYSTEMS.
.
 DISTRIBUTION
304 MILLION PONDS & NATURAL
LAKES IN THE WORLD
AREA = 4.2 million KM2
TWICE THE EARLIER ESTIMATE
NEARLY 90% ARE UNDER 1 HA OR
LESS IN SIZE.
LIMNOLOGISTS DEFINED PONDS AS:
A WATERBODY WHERE LIGHT
REACHES THE BOTTOM;
SHALLOW ENOUGH TO ALLOW
GROWTH OF ROOTED WATER
PLANTS;
LACKS WAVE ACTION ALONG THE
SHORELINE.
 PONDS
COVER ~30% AREA OF STANDING
WATER ON EARHTS SURFACE
EXCEPTIONAL SOURCES OF WATER
RENDER EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH
ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS AND
SERVICES.
 PONDS OF THE WORLD
COULD ABSORB AS MUCH
CARBON AS THE WORLD’S
OCEANS.
(John Downing, Limnologist,
Iowa State U)
 CONSTRUCTED PONDS &
FARMLANDLAKES OF US BURY
CARBON AT A FAR HIGHER RATE THAN
EVER IMAGINED.
AS MUCH AS 20­50X THE RATE OF
TREES TRAPING CARBON.
OR ANNUALLY SUCKING IN AS MUCH
CARBON AS THE WORLD’S OCEANS.
 THE DOWNING TEAM
ESTIMATES 304 MILLION NATURAL
LAKES AND PONDS IN THE WORLD,
(AREA= 4.2 MILLION KM2) OR TWICE
THE AREA PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.
90% UNDER ONE HA OR LESS IN
AREA.
IF CARBON UPTAKE IN EUROPEAN
PONDS EQUALS THE US PONDS,
WE MAY WELL HAVE DISCOVERED
THE NEWEST NATURAL WAY OF
TRAPPING CARBON.
 CLIMATE, TOPOGRAPHY &
GEOLOGICAL MAKEUP CONTROL
LOCII OF PONDS.
IN KERALA, PONDS OCCUR IN ALL
THREE ELEVEATION ZONES;
HIGHLAND (>75.0). MIDLAND (7.5­
75.0M) & COASTAL LAND (<7.5).
District Number of Ponds Total
Panchayat Private Public Quarry Irrigation Temple
Trivandrum 1633 121 00 06 34 69 1863
Kollam 581 825 503 82 17 188 2196
Pathanamthitta 390 456 654 138 0 59 1697
Alappuzha 340 11400 00 04 03 303 12050
Kottayam 226 1641 491 84 75 208 2725
Idukki 66 558 77 19 47 23 790
Ernakulam 732 3450 296 164 72 204 4918
Thrissur 984 5861 182 43 213 258 7541
Palakkad 633 3070 242 134 61 314 4143
Malappuram 555 3632 245 145 45 272 4894
Wayanad 29 1489 01 16 61 03 1599
Kozhikod 94 855 110 33 24 284 1397
Kannur 292 626 470 25 35 301 1749
Kasaragod 265 1858 86 11 145 148 2291
Total 6820 35892 3357 904 838 2634
 PONDS:
A HUGE FRESHWATER RESOURCE
OF WORLD; EQUALS 30% OF
GLOBAL SURFACE AREA OF
STANDING WATER.
PLAY A ROLE IN ECOSYSTEM
SERVICES & FUNCTIONS DUE TO
HIGH BIODIVERSITY
 PONDS­
THREATENED BY HUMAN
INTERFERENCE; BUT RECEIVE NEARLY
NO LEGISLATIVE PROTECTION.
EUROPEAN POND CONSERVATION
NETWORK,EPCN, (GENEVA, 2004)
STRIVES CREATING AWARENESS,
UNDERSTANDING & CONSERVATION.
 EPCN­
POND BIODIVERSITY, HUMAN
ACTION, LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY,
ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT &
MONITORING, MANAGEMENT,
ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION,
HYDROLOGY & CLIMATE CHANGE,
INVASIVE SPECIES & THREATENED
SPECIES.
 THE RAMSAR CONVENTION
UPPER LIMIT = 8.0 ha (19.768 acres).
THE BRITISH CHARITY “POND CONSERVATION”
=1.0 m2 & 20,000 m2 (~ 2.0 ha or 5.0 acres) &
HOLDS WATER FOR FOUR OR MORE
MONTHS/YR.
EUROPEAN UPPER LIMIT = 5.0 ha
AMERICAN, FLEXIBLE, UPPER LIMIT= 61.0
ACRES
(The Walden pond, Concord, Ma)
 ALGAE GROW NEARLY EVERY
WHERE. VITAL PART OF AQUATIC
ECOSYSTEM
PROVIDE FOOD & SHELTER TO
OTHER ORGANISMS
ENABLE ABSORPTION OF
NUTRIENTS & HEAVY METALS
O2 & CO2 ARE ONLY GASES INVOLVED
IN LARGE AMOUNTS IN METABOLISM
OF GREEN PLANTS.
MICROALGAE UTILIZE CLIMATE
KILLING CO2, CREATING VALUABLE
BIOMASS, WHICH COULD BE USED TO
PRODUCE BIODIESEL, TO FUEL
BIOGAS POWER PLANTS &
NUTRITIOUS FOOD SUPPLEMENT IN
FISH FOOD.
ALGAE SCRUB 10X AS MUCH CO2 AS
TERRESTRIAL PLANTS. A MIT STUDY
(2008) FOUND THAT DIVERSION OF
CO2 THROUGH AN ALAGE BROTH
COULD REDUCE EMISSION BY ABOUT
85%. IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS INPUTS
ARE CO2 & H2O, & VITAL FOR ALGAL
GROWTH. O2 & H2O (V) ARE
BYPRODUCTS
 PONDS
1.CARBON SEQUESTERING VIA
ALGAL BIOFUELS (ETHANOL).
2. INJECTION OF HOT FLUE GAS OF
GAS /COAL (POWER & CHEMICAL)
PLANTS INTO POOLS OF HEAT
TOLERANT BLUEGREEN ALGAE
FOR CARBON CAPTURE.
 PROMISE OF ALGAE
TO FUTURE OF PLANET IS NOT YET
FULLY FATHOMED. STUDIES,
MONITORING &MEASURING
EFFICIENCIES & NEGATIVE
IMPLICATIONS NEED TO BE
DOCUMENTED.
SO, MILLIONS OF PONDS AND
SMALL LAKES OF INDIA NEED
SPECIAL CARE OF THE SOCIETY
PLANNING FOR A SMALLER
CARBON FOOT PRINT.
THANK YOU
VERY MUCH
���������������������������������������������������������������������������
���������������������������������������������������������������������������������
�����������������������������������������������������