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Abstract
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Introduction
Drowning and recovery of human corpses from water bodies is a common phenomenon worldwide. The season-dependent and site specific phytoplankton in the water get aspirated into the human body through the lungs in the process of drowning. The presence of these in standard amounts inside the body forms the basis of the diatom test, which is the only scientifically valid test taken as strong corroboratory evidence as a part of forensic investigation in cases of drowning.
Materials and Methods
A qualitative study on diatoms was conducted on five lakes and two rivers of Kashmir Valley to create database indices of diatom flora in the selected water bodies for future utilization in forensic investigations. Water samples were collected from each water body and studied under simple light microscope for the identification of diatoms.
Results
A total of 28 genera of diatoms were identified from the selected water bodies, among which Cocconeis sp., Fragilaria sp., Nitzschia sp., Navicula sp., Cyclotella sp., Gomphonema sp., and Pinnularia sp., were most commonly found.
Conclusions
Six genera were found to be restricted to certain water bodies which can be utilized for forensic investigations.
Language: en |