Water Quality and Ichthyodiversity of River Kabul at District Nowshera after the 2022 Heavy Flood, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

The present study investigated the water quality parameters and ichthyodiversity of the River Kabul in the district of Nowshera. The study was conducted from October 2022 to December 2022. For water and fish samples collection, a 20 km river belt was explored for three months, and fish specimens were captured with the assistance of local fishermen using drag nets, cast nets, hand nets, and hooks. Water samples were collected to assess their quality; the water quality parameters were temperature 17- 20 °C, pH 7.75-7.8, velocity 0.5-0.7 m/s, ammonia 0.45-0.9 ppm, nitrite zero ppm, and nitrate 5-6 ppm. All these parameters fall within the limits given by WHO (2011) except ammonia, which is slightly higher than the recommended value. A total of 16 species were identified, which belong to 7 families (Cyprinidae, Siluridae, Schilbiedae, Belontidae, Cichlidae, Bagridae, and Channidae) and four orders (Cypriniformes, Siluriformes, Perciformes, and Channiformes. The Cyprinidae family was found to be the richest family. It is represented by seven species (Cyprinus carpio, Garra gotyla, Rasbora daniconius, Barilius modestus, Tor macrolepis, Cirrhinus mrigala, and Labeo diplostomus), family Siluridae represented by three species (Glyptothorax cavia, Ompok pabda, and Wallagu attu), Family Schilbeidae represented by two species (Clupisoma naziri and Clupisoma garua). In contrast, the remaining families were represented by a single species: Oreochromis aureus (Cichlidae), Mystus bleekeri (Bagridae), Colisa fasciata (Belontidae), and Channa punctata (Channidae). Throughout the study, Garra gotyla was found to be the most abundant fish, while the least abundant is Clupisoma Garua. In the present study, four species (Glyptothorax cavia, Colisa fasciata, Oreochromis aureus, and Clupisoma Garua) are reported for the first time from the river Kabul in the district of Nowshera. This study will help examine future taxonomic and conservation points of view.