A Review on Reservoir System and Its Ecology in Indian Perspective

Rural populations often depend on small reservoirs for their water supply. These are not natural aquatic system but are designed to serve specific purposes and provide the means to utilize water in a variety of useful and efficient ways. Water from these sources is not only utilized for drinking purposes, but also for commercial and industrial use. Though reservoirs are constructed, they are considered as an intermediate between a river and a lake. Thus limnological characteristics of this hybrid system have been of great interest to ecologists and researchers. Several limnological attributes regarding water quality, plankton abundance, fish population are been discussed in this review article. Ecological studies on global and Indian perspective are the major highlight of this review. A few modeling approaches are also discussed which are commonly used globally to preserve and manage the pristine aquatic nature of this hybrid ecosystem.