Water Quality and Hispathology of Climbing Perch (Anabas testudineus Bloch) at Cempaka Mining, South Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract

The study on water quality and hispathology of climbing perch (Anabas testudineus Bloch) was conducted to analyze water condition, water quality determine the pollution index, and to analyze the liver tissue of the fish in the area of diamond and gold mining areas. Samples were taken from three observation site. The analysis of water quality and fish's liver tissue were conducted in laboratory. Histology observation using the microtechnique method was conducted by preparing histological preparat of climbing perch. Based on classification of water quality, the parameter of alkalinity, mercury (Hg) in liver, Total Suspended Solid(TSS), Hg in worms, the depth level of site, ammonia (NH 3 ), Hg in snails, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), and pH were classified into Class B. The pollution index was between 1.0 < IP ≤ 5.0. Therefore, the area of Cempaka diamond and gold mining was mildly polluted. Tissue damage was around 50-80 %. There were severe level types such as inflammation, cloudy swelling, focal necrosis, karyolitic, hemorrhage, and hepatoma. Keywords: Mercury pollution, Hispathology, Climbing perchAquatic Science and Technology ISSN 2168-9148 2014 www.macrothink.org/ast 44 BackgroundThe diamond and gold mining activities in Cempaka District have been started long time ago and became a legacy. The most popular mining activities can be found at Murung and Pumpung Village. Those places are tourism objects of diamond mining. Besides diamond, gold has been found in the area and refined using mercury (Hg). Hg was used to separate gold from fine sands and stones. The mixing process was used in water body or in the house. It was estimated that 5-10% of Hg through to the water during the process of mining activities (Lasut, et al., 2010). The use of Hg has been applied at the mining area of North California USA, separating gold from alluvial soil (Saiki, et al., 2010) and Buyat Bay Indonesia (Lasut, et al., 2010).Rising gold prices led the gold mining activities continue. The impact to the environment shown by the increase of trees cutting for land opening. Land opening in public area or conservation area threatens the biodiversity. The rehabilitation takes very long time (Howard, et al., 2011;Hammond, et al., 2007;Hilson & Vieira, 2007; Paterson & Heemskerk, 2001).The mining process begins by digging hole which later turns into a lagoon mining pit. When it rains, the water will overflow and enter the lower area, enter the lagoon and swamp around the area. Local fish such as climbing perch that live in the swamp wandering into the lagoon to feed. When the change of seasons, conditions become dry and swamp water began to recede, fish were still looking for a place flooded and headed into the lagoon. Fish trapped in the lagoon during dry season, water temperature ranged from 32.40 to 33.80 °C. No fish were caught in June until September 2012. Climbing perch stress during the dry season as water temperature increased, to make climbing perch exposed to water containing Hg. Hg was found in the liver of climbing perch from ...