Impacts of Gully Erosion on River Water Quality and Fish Resources: A Case Study

At present, gully erosion contributes one of the most significant environmental soil degradation problems related to the laterite zones in West Bengal, India. Erosion also causes undesirable sedimentation that directly or indirectly affects the native aquatic environment. Such environmental variability is widely reflected through the anomalous distribution of confined fish species aggregations. In addition to the effect of gully erosion, a trend to decline in water quality controls the availability of plankton in certain areas, as well as being responsible for the habitat loss of fish and other aquatic organisms. Thus, the present study endeavored to depict the affected riverine areas through gully erosion and characterization of such environmental factors to prevent ichthyofaunal loss. Such work also suggested a future strategy development for local people to lead to the impact assessment of gully erosion.