EVALUATION OF THE SURFACE WATER QUALITY OF THE RAMSAR WETLAND LOS PANTANOS DE VILLA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The Pantanos de Villa Wildlife Refuge is located in the urban area of Metropolitan Lima (Peru). This ecosystem, despite being a natural area protected by the State and Ramsar Wetland, is frequently impacted by humans with solid waste, among others. Based on an assessment of the surface water quality of the wetland in 2021, its current status was determined considering three different bodies of water; spring (Las Palmeras), canal (Sangradero) and lagoons (Las Delicias and Mayor). The results reflected favorable conditions in terms of pH content in a range of 7.0 to 8.5, conductivity in a range of 2630 to 10,390 μS/cm due to the nature of the coastal wetland near the sea. However, parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), nitrates, oils and fats, and dissolved oxygen exceeded the Water Quality Standards of Perú, category 4, subcategory 1 (DS-004-2017-MINAM). Likewise, some parameters such as of oils and fats and nitrates, they exceeded the standards of international norms such as ASEAN, CONAGUA and Ecological Criteria of Water Quality. Finally, to obtain a comprehensive rating of the water quality of the wetland, the ICA-PE (CCME) index was used. It was obtained that the spring is in a regular state, while the lagoons and the canal presented a poor water quality, which would mean that these bodies of water are subject to constant sources of contamination and represent a risk to the health and ecosystem services of the wetland.