Scientists from LaCONES at CSIR–CCMB Hyderabad conducted a large-scale study of bacteria in lakes across the Eastern Ghats. They found that lakes inside protected areas had much higher bacterial diversity. Lakes near factories or industrial zones had fewer bacterial species. The research mapped bacterial life in 23 waterbodies across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha. Using environmental DNA (eDNA), the scientists collected samples from 40 sites and generated over a million DNA reads per sample. This revealed unique bacterial communities in each lake with almost no overlap. "Each lake harboured a unique bacterial signature with minimal overlap," the study noted. G. Umapathy, chief scientist at LaCONES CSIR-CCMB, said on December 1, 2025: "This study highlights the key role of bacteria in maintaining water quality, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem strength in the Eastern Ghats." The Eastern Ghats are a broken mountain range along India's east coast, crossed by major rivers like Krishna, Kaveri, Mahanadi, and Godavari. Climate change is shifting bacterial populations and affecting aquatic systems, but its effect on Eastern Ghats lakes was little known until now. This new map of microbial life shows how different lakes have their own special bacterial life. It also points to the harm industrial areas may cause by reducing bacterial diversity, which is vital for healthy water ecosystems.