Analysis of the Current State of Water Salinity and Its Effect on the Local Plant Diversity of the Bakkhali River, Cox’s Bazar

Abstract

Climate change has led to an unprecedented rate of sea-level rise (SLR) over the past few years. With hundreds of rivers flowing through the region, Bangladesh is a deltaic plain. Most of them end their journey by accumulating in the Bay of Bengal (BoB). The rising sea level tends to increase river salinity due to the changing climate, which directly affects the associated ecosystems and vegetation coverage. During the COVID-19 pandemic in the monsoon season, this research was conducted. The study evaluates the current plant diversity and river salinity status of Cox's Bazaar's Bakkhali River, which concluded in a hypothesis on how the local plant-diversity is affected by the river salinity. On site, the water salinity level was measured. The estimated plant diversity status was measured using the diversity index for both Simpson (D) and Shannon (H). Statistical analysis was carried out on the results of the impact of river salinity on the plant diversity of the riverside. From the water samples collected from the sampling locations, total dissolved solids (T DS) and electrical conductivity (EC) were measured. From all the statistical research it was found that when salinity increases, the plant diversity decreases. There were less human footprints because of the pandemic. Also the salinity level was lower than expected due to the monsoon season. Via physical observation, it was shown that pollution had less effects.