Assessment of heavy metal contamination in the sediment of the River Ghaghara, a major tributary of the River Ganga in Northern India

Abstract

The present study includes a systematic analysis of sediment contamination by heavy metals of the River Ghaghara flowing through the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Indian Territory. To estimate the geochemical environment of the river, seven heavy metals, namely Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, Cd, Zn, and Pb were examined from the freshly deposited river bed sediment. All the sediment samples were collected on a seasonal basis for the assessment of fluctuation in 2014-2015 and after preparation samples were analyzed using standard procedure. Result showed that heavy metal concentration ranged between 11.37 and 18.42 mg/kg for Co, 2.76 and 11.74 mg/kg for Cu, 61.25 and 87.68 mg/kg for Cr, 15.29 and 25.59 mg/kg for Ni, 0.21 and 0.28 mg/kg for Cd, 13.26 and 17.59 mg/kg for Zn, 10.71 and 14.26 mg/ kg for Pb in different season. Metal contamination factor indicates the anthropogenic input in the river sediment was in the range of (0.62-0.97) for Co, (0.04-0.26) for Cu, (0.68-0.97) for Cr, (0.22-0.38) for Ni, (0.70-0.93) for Cd, (0.14-0.19) for Zn, and (0.54-0.71) for Pb. The highest contamination degree of the sediment was noticed as 4.01 at Ayodhya and lowest as 3.16 at Katerniaghat. Geo-accumulation index was noted between (0 and 1) which showed that sediment was uncontaminated to moderately contaminated and may have adverse affects on freshwater ecology of the river. Pollution load index (PLI) was found highest at Chhapra which was 0.45 and lowest at Katerniaghat which was 0.35 and it indicates that the river sediment has a low level of contamination. Significant high correlation was observed between Co, Cu, and Zn, it suggests same source of contamination input is mainly due to human settlement and agriculture activity. Positive correlation between Zn, Co, Cu, Cr, and Ni indicated a natural origin of these elements in the river sediment. Cluster analysis suggests grouping of similar polluted sites. The strong similarity between Co, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cu, and Cd showed relationship of these metals come from the same origin, which is possibly from natural and anthropogenic input which was also confirmed by correlation analysis. Using the various pollution indicators it was found that the river bed sediment is less contaminated by toxic metals during the study but the sediment quality may degrade in the near future due to increasing anthropogenic inputs in the river basin, hence proper management strategies are required to control the direct dumping of wastewater in the river.

Sediments and Water Column Contamination by Heavy Metals in Ekulu River, Nigeria: Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment

“…the release of some environmental pollutants such as heavy metals [4]. The discharge of wastewater from industrial effluent of manufacturing/processing companies, coal mine acid drainage, application of inorganic fertilizer, sludge from sewage and deposition of atmospheric pollutants have been reported to constitute the principal contributors of heavy metals found in sediments and water columns of rivers [2,5,6].…”

“…The extent of heavy metal contamination of the sediments of rivers can be evaluated employing several methods such as enrichment factor, index of geo-accumulation, metal contamination factor and the associated contamination degree and pollution index load [2,3,14,15]. Reviewed literature shows that the ecological risk assessment of the sediments due to heavy metal pollution can be evaluated via estimation of biological impairment using sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) [16].…”

“…However, release of heavy metals into the environment from natural processes is considered low/insignificant compared with anthropogenic releases. Anthropogenic sources are usually the main sources of environmental pollution by heavy metals as could be found in water columns and sediments of rivers that receive effluent and wastes from nearby sources of pollution [1][2][3]. Anthropogenic activities manifesting in form of steady growth in industrialization and urbanization in many countries of the world is highly associated with increase in…”

Assessment of heavy metals concentration in water, sediment and fish under different management systems in earthen ponds

“…Moreover, El-Naggar et al (2000) reported that the circulation of heavy metals in the aquatic environment relies upon the physico-chemical characteristics of the aqueous phase and the accessibility of both inorganic and organic complexing agents. Singh et al (2017) stated that the physico-chemical properties of water conditions vary from season to season.…”

“…Ibrahim et al (2000) and Ibrahim and El-Naggar (2006) observed an obvious correlation between heavy metals concentrations in aquatic organisms and sediments. Moreover, Singh et al (2017) indicated that heavy metals can fix in sediment for brief periods then, small amount of these fixed heavy metals will enter the overlying water body again and uptake by the aquatic biota.…”