Water is an important resource for mankind, plants and animals. Surface water bodies viz., lakes, ponds and rivers, supply the required water apart from ground water sources. Human activities, disposal of storm water runoff, industrial wastewater, domestic sewage, agricultural runoff, etc pollutes lakes and reservoirs. These sources of pollution degrade the water quality and make it unfit for use. Oxygen demanding wastes are the prominent pollutants of lakes. Presence of phosphorus in toxic chemicals and domestic sewage discharge dominates the pollution of lakes. Knowledge of lake system is essential to understand the role of phosphorus in polluting the lakes. It is essential to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of water bodies to achieve the required water quality to ensure protection of fish, flora and fauna. The amount of phosphorus in the lake water, controls the quantity of algal growth and productivity of lakes. The paper also highlights the share of surface water bodies in irrigating arable lands in the country and also about world scenario. India's surface water utilisation is only 20 % of the available quantity, which demands proper watershed management. As a case study two lakes situated in Hosur industrial town on NH-7 was studied for the pollution levels and the observations are reflected in the degradation of lake water. Discussion and conclusions are drawn to emphasise controlling the pollution of lake water and its optimal utilisation.

Department of Civil Engineering,
Adhiyamaan College of Engineering,
Hosur, Tamil Nadu, India.
Phone: (04344) 560575.