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A Preliminary Study on Microplastic Occurrences in Surface Waters of Ousudu Lake, Pondicherry, India.
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This preliminary study assessed microplastic contamination in surface waters of Ousudu Lake in Uganda, providing an early baseline for freshwater microplastic research in East Africa. Freshwater bodies are key pathways for transporting microplastics from inland sources to the ocean.
Microplastics (MP) in both freshwater and marine ecosystem is the next issue that has been recently the fore. However, freshwaters are the potential source and pathway to transport MPs to the marine environment. There is a lack of understanding about the presence and analysis of MP in the freshwater system in India, one of the leading global plastic producers and consumers responsible for 5.6 million tonnes of waste every year. The present attempt is the first in Ousudu Lake, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, to study the MPs occurrence and examine its properties in the surface water of the largest lake and an important wetland. The concentration range of MP in Ousudu Lake was 0.0039 particles/m2. Fibre was dominant, homogenous with the size fraction of ≤100µm comprised of total MPs collected in Lake. Raman spectroscopy identified plastics with polyethylene as a homogenous component. This study indicated that the presence of MP in water might influence the environment.
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Occurrence and Spatial Distribution of Microplastics in the Surface Waters of Lake Naivasha, Kenya
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Scientists surveyed microplastic abundance and composition in surface waters of Lake Naivasha, Kenya, finding contamination across the lake with higher concentrations near agricultural and urban areas, providing one of the first datasets for a major East African freshwater body.
Microplastics in freshwater lakes: A case study from Southern India
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Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in Vellayani Lake, a major drinking water source in southern India, and found particles present across all sampling sites and seasons. Fibers were the most common shape, with polyethylene and polypropylene as the dominant polymer types, likely originating from domestic wastewater and fishing activities. The study highlights the need for monitoring microplastic pollution in freshwater lakes that serve as critical drinking water supplies.
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This review pulled together 41 studies to show that Africa's rivers and lakes are widely contaminated with microplastics, tiny plastic fragments and fibers, with even higher levels showing up in sediment (the mud and sand at the bottom) than in the water itself, especially during rainy seasons. Since these freshwater sources are often used for drinking water and fishing, this contamination matters because we still don't fully know how ingesting these particles over time affects human health, making this an area that urgently needs more research and better plastic waste management.
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This study characterized microplastic abundance and composition in Kumaraswamy Lake, a freshwater body in India, mapping spatial distribution and calculating a pollution load index to assess the extent and risk of microplastic contamination.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.