Seasonal Fluctuation of Water Quality and Ecogenomic Phylogeny of Novel Potentional Microbial Pollution Indicators of Veshaw River-Western Himalaya

Abstract Almost a billion people, especially in developing countries, need safe water. Several studies in India show that most drinking water sources have high coliform counts. Standard quality control is needed. This study was conducted in rural parts of South Kashmir in the Western Himalaya from February to January, 2020–2022. Water samples were taken from the river from upstream to downstream using standard water sampling techniques. The purpose of this study was to investigate the detection and molecular identification of coliforms in drinking water and the chemical water quality associated with coliform-contaminated drinking water, which summarises river water pollution. The results showed significant variation in water quality measures, indicating increased pollution levels downstream. In all seasons, the highest coliform count was recorded at Sangam (downstream) of the river. In the summer season at Sangam it was recorded (72.2600 cfu 106/l) and no coliform count was found at Kongwaton (upper stream) during the winter season near the source of the Veshaw river. In all seasons, the highest values of water quality parameters (pH 6.847, EC 71.620 dS/m, BOD 1.120 mg/l, and COD 24.637 mg/l) were recorded at Sangam (downstream) of the river during the summer season. In the winter season at Kongwaton, the lowest values of water quality parameters were pH 8.947, EC 253.680 dS/m, BOD 4.963 mg/l, and COD 51.440 mg/l. The existence of coliforms in water indicates current faecal contamination and determines the presence of disease-causing pathogens. The goal of this work is to examine the level of total coliform contamination, coliform species identification, and chemical water quality properties of drinking water and its associated factors, which implies the pollution level in the river. Total DNA was collected and sequenced for 16S rDNA and metagenomics. Universal primers were used to amplify the bacterial 16S rRNA. Using BLAST, the amplified 16S rRNA gene sequence was matched to the NCBI database. A metagenomic study found 27 species that had different relative abundances. These species include E. coli, Escherichia fergusonii, Escherichia albertii, Klebsiella grimontii, and Shigella dysenteriae. This study is thought to be the first to discriminate against E. fergusonii, Escherichia albertii, Klebsiella grimontii, and Shigella dysenteriae from E. coli and to report on E. fergusonii and E. albertii, Klebsiella grimontii, and Shigella dysenteriae in the river Veshaw water sources in Kulgam, Western Himalaya.