Categories and Water Quality of Artificial Water Storage Ponds in Rural Areas of Khulna, Bangladesh

Artificial water storage ponds in the rural area around Khulna and Bagerhat Districts in Bangladesh were surveyed and categorized into domestic use (denoted as D), wastewater storage use (W), agriculture use (A) and fisheries use (F) for the rural ponds and urban domestic use (U: divided into large (Ul) and small groups (Us)). The main survey was carried out during the wet season and a part of the surveyed ponds was also investigated during the dry season. The area and volume of the ponds were large in Ul and F. The transparency was low in the category F, W and U ponds and the SS, TOC were higher in the category F and U ponds than the others. On the other hand the T-N and T-P were higher in category W and U ponds than the others. The size of all the ponds was decreased and the pond water changed more turbid during the dry season caused by increase of particulate matter in the water. The principal component analysis showed that the first component indicating the progress of eutrophication was largely contributed. The water quality of in rural domestic ponds especially during the dry season should be improved.