Seasonal monitoring of algal diversity and spatiotemporal variation in water properties of Simsang river at South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, India

The present study was carried out in the Simsang river of Garo Hills, Meghalaya, NE India to estimate the seasonal water properties and examine the algal distribution from three sampling stations. The water parameters were estimated following Trivedy and Goel (Environ Publ 6:10–12, 1986) and APHA (American Public Health Association, Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, Method, 2005), while biodiversity indices were used to calculate the algal diversity, richness, evenness and similarity index. The result revealed that pH and the concentrations of Fe, Ni, Mn, and Zn were found to be significantly elevated as compared to BIS/WHO recommended level for drinking water. A total of 29 algal species belonging to 12 families were enumerated from the 4 seasons. Biodiversity indices such as Margalef richness index, Shannon–Weiner index, and Simpson’s diversity presented maximum values in summer while Pielou’s evenness did not vary significantly between seasons. Sorenson’s index presented the lowest similarity (25%) and highest dissimilarity (75%) between winter and spring. The water quality status revealed that Simsang river water is deteriorated and needs to be pre-treated before utilization. Furthermore, the river condition as observed during the study period felt the necessity to adopt proper management policy and conservation efforts by the local inhabitants to protect the Simsang river.