Thane district is one of the most industrialized districts in Maharashtra. The heavy industrialization and the increasing urbanization are responsible for the rapidly increasing stress on the water and soil environment of the area. Therefore, an attempt has been made through comprehensive study on the groundwater contamination and soil contamination due to heavy metals in Thane region of Maharashtra. The area undertaken for the study was Thane and its suburbans Kalwa, Divajunction, Dombivali, Kalyan, and Ulhasnagar. Industrialization and urbanization lead to generation of large volumes of wastewater from domestic, commercial, industrial, and other sources, which discharged in to natural water bodies like river and creek in this region. Groundwater samples and soil samples were collected from residential, commercial, agriculture, and industrial areas. Groundwater samples were analyzed for various water quality parameters. The analytical data shows very high concentration of total dissolved solids, total hardness, total alkalinity, chemical oxygen demand, chloride etc. Groundwater and soil samples were analyzed for ten heavy metals by inductively coupled plasma (ICPE-9000) atomic emission spectroscopy. The analytical data reveal that, very high concentration level of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and nickel throughout the industrial area. The random dumping of hazardous waste in the industrial area could be the main cause of the groundwater and soil contamination spreading by rainwater and wind. In the residential areas the local dumping is expected to be the main source for heavy metals. A comparison of the results of groundwater with WHO guidelines show that most of the groundwater sampling station are heavily contaminated with organic matter and heavy metals. Groundwater samples are heavily contaminated by arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and nickel. Similarly, the results of heavy metals in soil compared with Swedish soil guideline values for polluted soil show that soil samples collected from residential, commercial and industrial areas are heavily contaminated by arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and nickel.

No abstract

Corrosion scales play an important role in modifying water quality in drinking water distribution systems. The corrosion scales from old water pipe lines were analyzed for their structure and composition. This paper presents the results of comprehensive study of deposits found in water distribution system of Ulhasnagar city of Maharashtra, India. Scales were investigated by XRD, FTIR, SEM and ED's analytical techniques. It was found that goethite, magnetite, lepidocrocite, hematite and Akaganite were identified as the primary constituents of brown deposits. The corrosion scales had a shell-like, enveloping layer, covering porous deposits of iron oxide phases. Our studies were able to identify important constituents of three different pipes of water distribution systems. Akaganite was found to be present in chloride environment. Along with iron hydroxide phases it was found that corrosion product also contain some organic matter which may be due to adsorption of biofilm on the surface of pipe. Further studies are needed to establish the role of corrosion scales in the mechanism of iron release from corroded pipes.

Water is the most vital resource for all kinds of life on this planet, but it is being adversely affected both quantitively and qualitatively by all kinds of life human activities on Land, Air and Water. Today most of the rivers of world receive millions of litre sewage domestic waste and industrial effluents containing varying in characteristics from simple nutrients to highly toxic substances. Urban pollution increases rapidly by industrial developments. Industrialization and urbanization lead to generation of large volumes of wastewater from domestic, commercial, industrial and other sources.